Lily In Full Blossom
by kirikarin
Summary: Lily Evans has admired James Potter for being a great Quidditch player for so long. Finally, she takes the chance to become his friend by transferring into Hogwarts...even if it means she has to pretend she's a boy! Pre OotP
1. The New Student

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 01: The New Exchange Student

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ Please beware that this has not been edited by my beta reader. 

* * *

Lily Evans rushed to class, hoping that she wasn't late on her very first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary. She was dressed in the standard boys uniform and lightly touching her fiery redlocks. She had recently talked her best friend, Arabella Figg, into helping her cut her hair.

She was registered at Hogwarts as Lucas Evans, an exchange student from America. Her parents were divorced and she had been living in America for a few years with her mother, while her elder sister, Petunia, lived with their father. She had come to the school for only one reason to meet a star Quidditch player who was her age: James Potter.

Today, being her first day, she didn't hold much hope in seeing him yet. She was just happy that she had talked her mother into letting her return to England. It was hard enough finding out she was a witch when she was ten, but even harder convincing her mother into letting her return to England. After reading so many wizarding magazines, Lily had learned that James Potter attended the school.

He was made a seeker on his second year at Hogwarts and played successfully for the two years, then all of a sudden he had stopped. Lily only came to England to see James play. But, why was Lily dressed as a boy? Why was she trying to pull off such a charade? Because she wanted to be his friend and get close to him. Lily thought that this was the best way. 

Her first move was to return to England and meet up with her best friend, Arabella Figg, for the first time. They had only met for the first time because they were pen pals through an exchange program that their respective schools had offered. No one knew that Lily was a girl, except for Bella. 

Lily had a bigger problem. She was running late for her first class, Transfiguration. She had taken a wrong turn and had unwisely asked for directions from a Poltergeist named Peeves. Lily had no choice, but to start running as soon as she got her bearings, colliding with someone.

"I'm sorry!" exclaimed Lily quickly. "I'm late for my class. It's my first day. I'm very sorry." It would have been a more effective apology had she not been fleeing the scene at the same time.

The person she had collided with picked up her bag and shook his head. He was headed back to his dorm for a moment because he had forgotten his notes for the Transfiguration class. Instead, he decided to go to class without the notes. If anything, he had to prevent the new student from getting lost on the way over to Professor McGongall's class. It was part of his duties as a prefect.

Lily yanked the door open the moment she entered the classroom, earning a disapproving look from Professor McGongall. "I'm the new exchange student. I'm sorry I'm late. My name is Lucas Evans. I got lost, and the ghost I asked directions from gave me bad ones," said Lily with some effort to make her voice sound deeper. She would have said something more, but someone had tapped her over the head with her book bag. "Ow! What are you doing?!" she demanded as she whirled around. Her jaw dropped as she stared into the chocolate brown eyes of James Potter. He was more than a head taller than her.

"You dropped this in the hall when you ran into me. There I've returned it to you," said James in a monotone as walked passed her to take his seat next to his best friend, Sirius Black.

Lily stood there stunned for a moment. Professor McGonagall gave her a disapproving look over her spectacles. "Mr. Evans, don't you think you should sit down?" she suggested.

"Of course," agreed Lily as her cheeks turned bright red. She walked up to the desk that was closest to her. It was next to a boy who had dark brown hair with light bluish-green eyes. "Is this seat taken?"

"No," he said. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," said Lily as she took a seat and looked over her shoulder at James Potter who was writing notes.

"Hey, do you need a quill? By the way, my name is Frank. Frank Longbottom," said the boy.

"My name is Li—I mean my name is Lucas Evans," managed Lily.

"So, you're the new exchange student from American, but you sound English," whispered Frank. "And you also sound like a girl."

"I'm a boy and I am English," she insisted, wishing that Bella was there. Bella was in Ravenclaw, while Lily was lucky enough to be sorted into the same house as James Potter, Gryffindor. Lily was one of the smartest students in her old school and her records were more than good enough to allow her transfer into Hogwarts. She also knew from news articles that James Potter was one of the top students in the school. There was no doubt that he would be head boy by his seventh year.

After a while, Professor McGonagall let them loose to work on transfiguring a mouse into a cat. During that time, Lily decided to try and talk to James who was busy talking with his three friends: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. He looked up at her.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Um…I just wanted to say that I want to be your friend. I transferred schools just so I could meet you," said Lily happily.

There came snickers from around the room. "I'm not interested in that sort of thing," said James. The snickering came from the boys, while the girls looked up.

Lily was feeling very crushed at the moment.

"Go away," ordered James.

"But I—"

"I said go."

"What's going on here? Mr. Evans, I suggest you get started on your transfiguration," said Professor McGonagall. Lily snapped to attention and went back to her seat. She felt embarrassed. She took out her wand and transfigured the mouse into a cat with a single try.

"Mr. Evans has done the transfiguration. Very good," complimented Professor McGonagall. Lily smiled again. She wasn't going to let what had just happened get her down.

As soon as class was over, Frank offered to show Lily around the school. He showed her the different places around the school and warned her about the tricks that Peeves pulled. He also warned her about Filch and his cat, Mrs. Norris.

"You're a pretty weird guy," said Frank offhandedly.

"Am I?" asked Lily.

"Yes, you are. You look like a girl. You really do," said Frank. Lily had a denim vest to flatten out her chest. She was actually quite flat chested, but she still felt more comfortable with the vest on. Suddenly, she was attacked by a large dog. It was a massive dog.

"Fang!" shouted Frank as he tried to grapple with the beast.

"What is this?! Why is this dog attacking me?!" exclaimed Lily as the dog licked her face. 

"That is strange. That dog only likes females," said Frank as Hagrid came to get Fang off of Lily.

"I'm sorry about Fang," said Hagrid.

"Are you alright?" asked Frank anxiously.

"Yes, I'm fine," replied Lily as he helped her to her feet. Hagrid took Fang away with him.

"And that was the Games Keeper, Hagrid. He'll have to come back to introduce himself after he's put Fang away. Gee, it is strange Fang didn't have a problem with you. I probably should correct what I said before, Fang prefers females over males. The only two males that Fang likes are James Potter and Hagrid. I suppose you're now one of his favorite people," explained Frank.

Lily laughed nervously. _Fang likes me because I'm really a girl_, she thought.

"Then again, you must look enough like a girl for Fang to like you," continued Frank. "But, I mean if you were a girl, you'd have breasts, wouldn't you?" He patted her chest as he said this.

Lily looked like she was going to scream for a moment. "Let's go to the Quidditch Field," he said as he walked ahead of her.

She looked down at her chest. _Oh, good. He didn't notice. But, what a strange feeling_. 

*

Later in the afternoon, Lily returned to Gryffindor Tower to look for her room. It turned out that she was going to have to stay with a prefect because there wasn't enough room in the dorm for her. She wondered who she would have to share a room with. A good bonus was that the prefects had their own private bathrooms. They were small and cramped, but private nonetheless. Lily wasn't sure if she could take a shower or bath around the other boys.

She opened the door and found James Potter sitting on his bed. He barely looked up at her as she entered the room. "I'm sorry about that misunderstanding earlier. I just thought I should clear it up. It was a bad choice of words," she said.

"But, I wasn't wrong about wanting for us to be friends. I want to see you play Quidditch," she continued.

"I quit playing Quidditch," he told her. 

With utter disbelief, she lunged towards him and grabbed him by his shirt collar. "How could you quit?!"

"I wasn't aware that I needed your permission to do anything," said James coolly.

Lily released him and shook her head. "You're right. It's none of my business what you do. I'm sorry," she quickly apologized.

James stood up and walked out of the room. There was something about the new boy he couldn't quite understand. The boy had a strangeness about him that James could sense, but he couldn't put his finger on it. 

*

Lily sighed as she waited for Bella to meet her. "What's wrong, Lucas?" asked Bella as she took a seat next to her.

"My roommate is James Potter," replied Lily. "I made a really bad impression on him."

"You did? What happened?" asked Bella.

Lily told her the whole story. By the end, Bella was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach. "It's not funny!" exclaimed Lily defensively. She had come all the way from America to meet James Potter only to have it blown up in her face. She sighed.

"Are you going to practice with the broomstick racers today?" asked Bella, knowing how quick Lily was on a broomstick. She had trophies to prove it.

"I don't know. Probably just a short run," said Lily as she went off to the Quidditch field where Madame Hooche was waiting with the club members.

"Today, you are to take this broomsticks and race them as quickly as you can," said Madame Hooch. "Now mount your brooms."

Lily mounted her broom and launched into the air. The rest of the students, specifically the ones from the racing club, watched with wonderment. Madame Hooche walked up to her. "Mr. Evans, where did you learn to handle a broomsticks so well?"

"Uh…I just can. I'm Muggle born, but it's natural to me. I guess," said Lily distractedly as she thought about how coldly James Potter was treating her. She noticed that he barely smiled, even when he was with his friends.

"Hey! New guy!" shouted a member of the racing club. "Wanna join our club?"

Lily looked at them with shock. There was a whole group of them and they were vying to have her in their club. She looked at them and decided to make a run for it. She was a pretty fast runner and they weren't expecting her to run.

She ran around the castle as a group of them followed her. She made a dash for some bushes to hide from the mob. She knocked into someone again. _It was James Potter. Great. Am I meant to go through life like this?_ thought Lily miserably. 

He stared at her for a moment. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Um…hide me. Please. Don't tell anyone I'm here," she replied quickly as she ducked. 

"That new kid's got red hair! How hard could it be to not notice where he ran off to? Hey you! Over by the bushes," asked one of the members of the racing club.

James shut his book and stood up. "Excuse me?"

"Um…Potter. I had no idea you were there. Have you seen that new kid? The red headed, skinny, and short one?"

"No. I haven't."

"Oh, sorry to bother you, Potter." The members of the racing club backed off and ran. Lily waited until they were gone from the bushes and stood up. She straightened up her uniform and dusted off the grass.

"Are you alright?" asked James. It sounded as if his patience was wearing thin, so Lily just nodded as she rubbed the dirt off her chin. He didn't say anymore as he walked off. 

"Then why ask, if you don't care?" wondered Lily out loud as soon as he was gone. 

"Ask what, Lucas?" asked Frank Longbottom as he crept up from behind her.

"Ah!" exclaimed Lily in surprise. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," said Frank. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just ran from the racing club," explained Lily as she tried to make her voice sound deeper.

"My, my. What a first day you're having!" exclaimed Frank as he gave her a friendly pat on the back.

Lily felt herself stumble forward, but she quickly regained her footing. "Do you know anything about James Potter?" she asked.

"Uh? He's been acting differently since he came back this fall. He hasn't been hanging around his friends much. It's been quiet this year," said Frank. "I'm not that close a friend compared to Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Why?"

"He's my roommate," replied Lily.

"Really? I was wondering why you weren't in the regular dorms. I had no idea that we were that hard up for space. That must be the reason why he's annoyed. He had the room all to himself last year."

"I see." That had to be it. She was encroaching upon James' personal space. What she going to do? She was so distracted that she wasn't listening to Frank. 

"I'm going to my dorm to change and do some homework. I'll see you at dinner," said Lily as she and Frank split up. She walked back to her room, but she had no idea that Frank stood there staring after her.

_He's too cute to be a boy. He's actually very cute. Wait…a minute. What the Hell am I thinking?_ thought Frank as he shook his head. 

Lily was almost there, but then she was intercepted again by someone else. It was a tall boy with longish brown hair and blue eyes. "Oh, you're the exchange student. I heard you were pretty cute," said the boy. Lily stared at him for a moment before she saw the gleaming Head Boy badge on his chest.

"Um…you're the Head Boy," said Lily.

"Yes, I am. I'm from Gryffindor like you. My name is Reginald Baker. You can call me Reggie. By the way, could you pass along the message to your roommate that there's a meeting for the prefects later this evening after dinner?"

"Yes, of course," said Lily. It was an excuse to talk to James. She walked back to her dorm and found James doing his homework. Lily walked up to him and cleared her throat. "Um…Reggie told me to tell you that there's a meeting for the prefects tonight after dinner."

James didn't nod or even acknowledge her as he went back to work on his astronomy chart. Lily sighed and opened her history book to read it. She couldn't blame him for ignoring her. She was probably the most annoying person he had ever met. 

Another hour crept by before James stood up. He grabbed some clothes out of his trunk and went into the bathroom. Soon Lily could hear the sound of the shower. She sighed and placed the book face down with the spine open on her chest. It was going to be hard living with him. Maybe she should just give up and say that she was a girl. At least, she could have some peace. 

Lily closed her eyes and fell asleep wondering how long James was going to take a shower. During that time, there came a knock at the door. Frank opened it slowly. "James? Sirius told me you had the notes from Astronomy. I can't read his handwriting. James?" Frank paused when he saw Lily sleeping on the floor.

_He walked up to her. He's got long eyelashes like a girl. He looks like an angel_, thought Frank. 

James opened the door and a rush of steam came out of the bathroom. He looked at Frank. "What were you asking for, Frank?" asked James as he rubbed his hair dry. He wasn't wearing his glasses, but he could tell it was Frank.

Frank jolted up when he heard James voice. "Um…nothing. Nothing at all," stammered Frank as he made a mad dash out of the room after slamming the door close.

James sighed and walked up to Lily. He tapped her with his foot. "Wake up," he said.

"Huh?"

"The bathroom's free," said James. 

"Okay," said Lily as she went to go and take a shower. She noticed that James wasn't wearing his glasses. He looked different without them. He was rubbing his black hair vigorously to get it dry. She got a change of clothes and went to the bathroom.

She changed out of the clothes. She was glad to be free of the vest as she hopped into the shower. She felt sore from all the day's activities. She felt the hot water warming her muscles.

James was done drying his hair. He realized that his glasses were still in the bathroom. He went to the door. "Lucas! My glasses are still in the bathroom!," he called through the door as he jiggled the door knob, unwittingly opening the door.

Lily's back was to him, but she stiffened up in surprise. James quickly slammed the door closed. He had his back against the door as he wore a shocked look on his face. He only saw her back and it was blurry. Yes. He didn't see anything.

"How could I forget that Lucas is a girl?" he said out loud. 

* * *

Post Author's Note: There you have it. Yes, it's weird, but I wanted to something fun for a change of pace. How does James know she's a girl? He just does. I'll elaborate more later. What do you think? The characters from the manga correspond with characters from Harry Potter, so I may have to explain later on.

If you would like to reach me for further contact please go to [http://remyelf.livejournal.com][1] or sign up at my forum at http://www.dreamelf.net/forum. Or if you just want to learn more about _For You in Full Blossom_. I do not plan to follow the plotline from Hanakimi. I'll just borrow a couple points as I go.

However, I am still trying to finish the previous fic up. If you want to see more of this fic, please tell me so. Then, this part will be edited before the next part is added. Be warned, it may take a while before I'm done with the other fic. ^_~ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 

   [1]: http://remyelf.livejournal.com



	2. Skeeter's Punch

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 02: Skeeter's Punch

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

Lily stopped for a moment when she heard the bathroom door slam. She was staring at the tile in the bathroom and her face was as a red as a tomato. The water pounded her shoulders and back. _Did he see anything?_

James was still standing against the door and he sank to the floor. His cheeks were bright red. He shook his head. _Why didn't she lock the door and draw the curtain close? What's wrong with her? If I had been any other guy...she's so stupid._

He stood up and went to his bed. Even though his vision was blurred he could still remember seeing a silhouette of her body because of a combination of the lamp and the small window in the bathroom. _Maybe it's my eyes, but she's missing a bit up there..._he shook his head. What was he thinking? Sure, she was flat chested, but it was the only way she could pass a boy.

He fell back on the bed and grabbed his Transfiguration book. He put the book on his face, so that she wouldn't notice how red it was. He didn't make a move when she finally emerged from the bathroom.

"I have your glasses," said Lily as she set them on the stand, "I'll put them on the nightstand for you." She was still drying her hair as she took a seat on her bed. She sighed as she looked at him. _Thank goodness he didn't figure it out yet. That was awfully close. He's still not talking to me. He must hate me. How could anyone take a nap right now?_

She stood up and decided to go to the library. She figured James was mad at her because she remembered Frank mentioning James not having a roommate prior to her arrival. She decided to give him back some peace. Maybe, she should just come back later on when he was gone.

James didn't move again until Lily was gone. He took the book off his face and picked up his glasses. He wiped them clean before putting them on. He closed his book as he sat up. He had to think about things. 

It had been a difficult year for him. He was avoiding his friends, the Quidditch team, and his responsibilities as a prefect. Everyone was harping on him all the time. That was the reason why James was outside when that Lucas, he didn't even know her real name, ran into him. James figured out that Lucas was really a girl when she run into him in the bushes after she had ran from the broomstick-racing club.

At first, he wasn't sure if she was boy or a girl, but after getting a much closer look at her. He was sure of it. After what happened in the bathroom, he was positive she was a girl. But, why would any girl come into the school as a boy? James was sure from the way she reacted when he said he wasn't on the Quidditch team anymore that she was a fan of his.

Maybe, he should tell the Headmaster about her. James shook his head. That didn't sound right to him at all. He could keep her true identity a secret. He looked at her desk for a moment. He walked up to it. He found some really cute drawings of Professor Thorn, the Potions Master and head of Slytherin. They were drawings of Professor Thorn running from a bunch of potion bottles. James chuckled slightly at it before deciding to go and meet with Reggie Baker.

*

Lily sighed as she studied at the library. She wanted to make more friends in Hogwarts. Unfortunately, Bella was always busy with her friends in Ravenclaw. She sighed as she looked at the letter that Bella had passed to her when they had met in the hall. 

_Don't worry. Just be yourself and try your best._ - B.

Lily sighed. How could she be herself and keep her gender a secret? She was always an optimist. _I'll do my best. I'll be his friend if it's the last thing I do._ She decided with determination. She packed up her stuff.

"Hey! New guy!" someone called out to her. Lily turned around and spotted the person who was calling her. He was as tall as James Potter. His black hair was straight and sort of longish. His eyes were also big and brown like puppy dog eyes. It was Sirius Black.

"Me?" asked Lily as she pointed to herself.

"Do you see anyone else around here?" asked Sirius with some annoyance. She looked around her with a confused look on her face. Sirius rolled his eyes at her. "Look, I need to talk to you. Come with me."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

Lily decided to go with him because she didn't want to go back to the room too soon, just in case James was still there. Sirius stopped for a moment. "I wanted to tell you to lay off, James. He's not into that sort of thing," he said.

"What?"

"He's not gay."

Lily's eyes widened. "What?! No! I'm not--" she stammered, but she gave up because she was tripping over her words. 

"You're not?" asked Sirius as he looked at her closely. "You know...you really do look like a girl."

"I'm not!" exclaimed Lily passionately. Sirius eyed her suspiciously.

"Anyway, come with me," said Sirius. "They say that you're pretty fast on a broomstick. So, I thought that you might be interested in seeing the Quidditch team."

"Wait, just a minute. I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are," said Lily.

Sirius looked at her for a moment then he laughed, "I assumed you'd know my name, too. You seemed to know James'. My name is Sirius Black. What's your name again?"

Lily gave him an annoyed look. "My name is Lucas Evans," she replied. They stopped at the Quidditch field. She spotted Frank Longbottom, who was the Gryffindor keeper. She realized that Sirius was dressed in a Quidditch uniform. "What's your position on the team?" she asked him.

"I'm the temporary seeker until James gets back. I'm usually one of the chasers, but we need James back and soon," said Sirius.

"What happened?" asked Lily.

"He didn't tell, you? Then, it's not my place to really say anything. I thought you were a Quidditch fan," replied Sirius.

"I am," said Lily excitedly. She accidentally let her voice slip into her natural, higher pitch. Sirius gave her a funny look. "I mean, of course, I am." She toned down her voice again.

Sirius mounted his broomstick and ascended upwards until he was up with all the other players. Frank looked at him, then looked at Lily. "What's going on?" asked Frank.

"I thought that I'd let him see what we do here. Besides, he might help us get James back up here," replied Sirius.

"Oh."

"Players. Let's do the duck formation," said Sirius, referring to the flight pattern in which the chasers got into a flying V formation like ducks did in the air.

The Bludgers were released for the practice, and Lily watched with wonderment as the Gryffindor team played. It was amazing. This was better than what the Americans played. They didn't even play real Quidditch, rather they played another variation. 

One of the beaters hit the Bludgers out of the way of the chasers. Frank could see one of the chasers attempting to hit the ball in. As the keeper, his job was to block them, even during practice. He blocked the Quaffle by hitting it with the back end of his broomstick. 

However, he had miscalculated the trajectory. The Quaffle went spinning out of control. The other beater hit a Bludger that collided with the Quaffle. Lily had no idea that it was coming straight at her until it was too late. She didn't even have time to dodge.

**POW!**

The Quaffle hit Lily on the head. She quickly passed out from the blow. Sirius called a stop to the practice. Frank was the first one on the ground. "Oh, no! Lucas!" moaned Frank. "I'm sorry!"

"I don't think he can hear you," said Sirius. "Let's get him to the infirmary."

"We'll finish later," said Sirius. "Let's go." Both boys supported Lily as they went towards the infirmary. "He's awfully light."

"Yes," agreed Frank.

James and Reggie were walking down the hall at the same time. The meeting with the other prefects was completed, but James had to stay behind because Reggie wanted to talk to James about his lack of participation as a prefect. Needless to say, James was sufficiently annoyed by Reggie.

"You'll never make Head Boy, if you're going to skive off your responsibilities. It's not that hard to be a prefect," said Reggie.

"I am not interested in being Head Boy," said James, but he stopped when he saw Frank, Sirius, and Lily. "What happened to him?" he demanded.

"A strange accident with the Quaffle. No big deal," said Sirius.

"It's my fault," said Frank. "We're going to take him to the infirmary."

"Wait. I'll carry him. Why don't you to run up ahead and make sure that damn Dr. Pomfrey isn't napping?" said James.

Sirius gave James a strange look. Frank nodded. "Let's go and get him," he told Sirius. They left.

James had Lily in his arms. He wasn't carrying her the same way the other two were. Reggie laughed, "You're carrying him like a kid or a girl. Why didn't you just let those two handle it?"

"I'm taking my responsibilities as a prefect. So, lay off," said James. He was holding Lily very gently as he walked off leaving a slightly stunned Reggie behind, shaking his head. _She's really small and light_ he thought to himself. He unconsciously held her closer to his chest. _She's so much trouble._

"Have you people ever heard of getting sleep to refresh one's psyche?" asked a voice with a slight French accent.

"You! You're always asleep whenever someone needs help!" exclaimed a very angry Frank. 

"Oh, look the patient is here," said the doctor. He was tall and slender with brownish blond hair and long bangs. He wore a pair of glasses. "Now, everyone get out. Mister Potter, please put Mister Evans on the bed so I can look him over, then get out."

James looked at him dubiously. He had to do something. Dr. Pomfrey was going to find out that Lucas was really a girl. "Um...you see..."

"Uh...where am I?" murmured Lily.

"Lucas! You're awake! It's all my fault I'm so sorry about hitting the Quaffle like that. I didn't know it was going to hit the Bludger--"exclaimed Frank.

"You moron, it's not your fault," said Sirius.

"He's awake now. All spectators leave." ordered Dr. Pomfrey as he kicked Frank, who collided with Sirius.

"Wait!" protested Frank as James and Sirius dragged him out of the infirmary. Frank looked up because James wore an uncharacteristic look of worry on his face.

"What's up, Prongs?" asked Sirius.

"Nothing. It's all right, Padfoot," replied James. It was better that Dr. Pomfrey found out and reported it. At least, that would let James off the hook.

Lily sat up on the bed as she rubbed the side of her skull. "Oh, my head," she moaned.

"So, you're fully awake now?" asked Dr. Pomfrey as he approached her.

She looked up at him with her emerald eyes. He stopped in front her. He was so close to her that he blocked any exits she might have. "Then, why are you dressed like a boy, _Miss_ Evans?"

Lily looked at him with wide eyes. _He knows. My cover's been blown._ But, before she could answer the door swung open again. James walked in. "If he's okay, we should go back to our room and get ready for dinner," he said.

"Yes, he's good to go. Perfectly all right," said Dr. Pomfrey with a congenial smile. The pair left the room. Dr. Pierre Pomfrey thought, _I look forward to meeting you again._

Lily walked behind James as they headed back to their room. "Um...do you know anything about Dr. Pomfrey?" asked Lily.

"Yes, he's here for a bit because his mother, our usual nurse, had to take a leave of absence after her husband got sick. She wanted to stay with him. So, we got him. He's fresh out of wizards' medical school," replied James.

_All I have to do is avoid running into Dr. Pomfrey again. I won't get kicked out of here._ Lily was determined to stick it out no matter what.

*

The next morning, Lily woke up long before James and quickly took a shower and changed her clothes. James woke up some time later and got ready for the day. They went together for breakfast before their first class of the day, Transfiguration.

They stopped when they noticed all the people gathered around a bulletin reading a notice on it. "Guys, it's something you've got to see," said Frank as he caught up with them. "By the way, Lucas, I'm really, really sorry about what happened yesterday. Please forgive me."

"It's okay. No harm done. I've got a hard head," Lily assured him. 

Frank gave her a sad look before he changed his face broke out in a smile. "Thanks! You're such a nice guy! You're my best friend!" he exclaimed.

"Um...when did that happen?" asked Lily. "What about the bulletin notice?"

"Oh, that...let's go," said Frank.

"Where did James go?" asked Lily. She turned and saw him with his friends Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She bit her lip as she followed Frank. The moment she saw the notice. "What the Hell is this?" she exclaimed.

Someone had taken a picture of James when he was carrying Lily to the infirmary. The person put a description on the side that had nothing to do with what really happened. "Scoop! The Transfer Student is a dangerous pretty boy!"

Lily fumed at the notice. "Who posted this?!" she demanded.

James came by and ripped down the notice without a word. The rest of the Marauders watched as he crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can. He walked onward with everyone else following behind him. Lily watched as he walked up to a girl who was sitting at the Hufflepuff table.

"The next time you screw around like that, Skeeter, I'm not going to let it slide," said James in a dangerous tone. He walked off. Everyone else broke off in different directions. Lily was about to leave when the Skeeter girl finally said something, "He's just upset that everyone now knows the truth. Heh. I guess they don't mind things like that America, do they?" she asked in a catty voice.

_Pow!_ Lily punched Rita Skeeter in the face, not knowing what came over her. She completely forgot that she was supposed to be a boy. Boys don't hit girls. "Cool off! You pathetic bitch!" she shouted as she turned and walked off.

"Mister Evans, that was uncalled for. How dare you hit another student? How dare you hit a girl?" said Professor McGonagall in a disapproving voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Lily opened her mouth before closing it. She turned and walked out of the Great Hall, not feeling hungry at all. _I knew what I was doing, but I had no idea that punching people hurt this much._ She inspected her hand to look for any bruising.

"That was some punch," commented Dr. Pomfrey. "You really are going all out, aren't you, _Mister_ Evans?"

Lily's eyes widened in fear as she backed away from him. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your hand," he observed as he looked it over.

"I took self-defense classes," she said defensively as she pulled her hand back. 

"That's good. Come back to the infirmary when you're ready to give me some answers," said Dr. Pomfrey as he walked off.

Lily stood there mildly stunned as he walked off. She heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned around. "Hey, Frank!" she exclaimed, forcing herself to be happy.

"I thought we'd go to class together. Here's some toast," said Frank as he gave her some buttered toast.

"Thanks," said Lily. "Let's go. I'd rather go early than sit at the Great Hall with everyone looking at me."

"Hitting, Skeeter? That's no big deal. She needs to be put in her place, but she's got stuff on almost everyone who could do that. She's really nosy," said Frank.

"I didn't mean to hit her," said Lily.

"It's okay," assured Frank.

"It's just that not a lot things have gone right since I've been here," said Lily.

"What do you mean?" asked Frank with concern.

"It's been so hard. I'm having trouble with James. He doesn't like me at all and he doesn't talk to me," said Lily sadly.

"Really? How couldn't he? That must be troublesome. You guys are roommates after all," said Frank.

"Yeah," said Lily. She sighed.

"Hey, don't feel bad," said Frank. "It'll turn out okay." Lily looked up at him. She gave him a smile. Frank's cheeks turned red at her smile. He cleared his throat. "Why don't we go to class?"

They both turned around the corner and caught sight of something. James was talking to a girl. She was pretty with long, silky brown hair and gray eyes. She was also taller than Lily. _And more developed_ thought Lily sadly. 

"I'm telling you I'm not interested," said James in a firm voice. 

"But, James--" started the girl.

"Stop telling me what to do."

"Come on Frank, let's go the other way," said Lily as she grabbed Frank's arm and led him off. His face was furiously red. James heard her voice and stopped to look at them as they retreated.

*

When school let out for the day, Lily was feeling thoroughly depressed. There was no way she could compete with someone who looked like a model. _If I were a real boy, I would do whatever she wanted. What did she want from James?_

Lily decided to help Hagrid out and walk Fang because she didn't feel like studying or staying in the room with James. She was walking around the grounds as Fang seemed to drag her along from time to time, snapping her out of her stupor. Finally, they stopped at a slope near the lake. Fang sat down, so Lily sat down next to him.

"Do you mind if I tell you something?" asked Lily to Fang. Sure, he was a dog, but at least he would listen to her. Fang gave a bark. "I came all the way here to meet James Potter. I want to be his friend, but I messed up. I guess what people say is right: first impressions are everything."

Fang started to lick her cheeks. It was the only thing he could do to make her feel better. He also looked at her sympathetically. "Thanks, Fang. You're a great dog," said Lily, but she stopped because she could hear people talking.

"Just leave me alone! Why can't you understand that?!" demanded a very angry James.

"I know you, James. You love playing Quidditch. You just need to get back on the broomstick," said the girl from earlier.

"I don't care. Just get the hell away from me!"

Fang's ears perked up at the sound of James' voice. He stood up and dragged Lily along, who was still holding on to the leash. "Hey! Wait, Fang! Stop!" she shouted. She froze when she saw James and the other girl. They were staring at her. "I'm sorry. Got to run!" She quickly got on her feet and managed to drag Fang off.

She kept going until she was back at Hagrid's. "That was close," she said as she turned around. She felt her heart stop. James had followed her. 

"Let's go back. It's getting dark," said James. Lily nodded.

As they walked back, Lily decided to say something, "She's pretty cute."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Julie," said James. "She's just one of the other prefects."

"Oh. You know I just remembered that Fang only likes you and Hagrid. Why is that?"

James gave her a slight smile. "I was the one who found him. He was just a puppy. I was at Hogsmeade one weekend. I saw how mean his owner was to him. He was too little to just follow commands, so I took him back to Hogwarts with me. Hagrid volunteered to keep him. The reason why he's still afraid of other guys is because his last owner was this really nasty man."

Lily nodded and smiled. She realized that James was really a nice person. "Why were you avoiding me today?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"It's because you're a--" James stopped. He didn't know how to answer that question. He looked at her for a moment before walking forward.

"James, where have you been?" asked a boy who walked up to them. He had brown hair and gray eyes. He was also very handsome. Lily realized that he resembled the other girl. 

"No where," said James as he caught up with the boy. "By the way, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, you know my roommate, Lucas Evans."

Remus smiled and nodded, "Yes, I remember. Who couldn't? You were the one who punched Rita Skeeter in the Great Hall."

Lily's cheeks turned red for a moment. She looked away from Remus. He gave her a friendly laugh. "Let's go," said James. "Are you coming along?"

Lily looked at him for a moment. She realized he was talking about her. She shook her head. "I have something to pick up at the room," she said very quickly as she walked off. James and Remus stared after her.

She rounded the corridor to her room. She stopped because Julie was standing there. Lily quickly attempted to turn around and go back the way she came. Maybe, she could hide out at the library for a while.

"Wait, you. I need to talk to you," said Julie.

"Me?" asked Lily.

"Yes, you," replied Julie with a nod.

"Okay...but why?" asked Lily.

"I want you to stay out of James Potter's way," replied Julie.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Sorry for the length of the delay between chapters. I seem to be still in volume one of the original manga. There's more fun coming up soon. School's been getting in the way these days. I may not follow Hanakimi exactly, so don't rely on the manga to tell you what happens next. 

What will happen next? Why is James shirking his responsibilities? Will Dr. Pomfrey reveal Lily's secret? Who does Julie think she is? I promise the next part will be funnier and cuter. By the way the character guide and how the characters from both works correspond can be found at [http://honeydukes.dreamelf.net/blossom/blossom00.html][1]. 

The good news is that the next Harry Potter book will be out by June 21st. ^^ By the way, I know that you people are capable of reviewing. Come on now...show me some love. Give me a reason to hurry up on the next chapter. Or visit my journal at http://remyelf.livejournal.com to ask any questions. The first part has been edited, and it's been a little over a month since I've updated. ^_^;; I swear to go faster. Put me on author alert if you are a member of ff.net, I'm a support member so you can get the alerts even if you're not. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 

   [1]: http://honeydukes.dreamelf.net/blossom/blossom00.html



	3. An Understanding

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 03: An Understanding

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

"I want you to stay out of James Potter's way," said Julie as she bent over Lily. 

Lily felt her pulse quicken as she looked into Julie's gray eyes. "I'm not in his way. I stay out of his way," she said.

"Good. You need to understand how important James is to Gryffindor. To this entire school. He can't afford to have any distractions. If you keep bothering him, he'll never get back on the Quidditch field," said Julie.

"I'm not doing anything. Besides, it's his business if he wants to play Quidditch or not," said Lily bravely. She was starting to get mad.

"How dare you assume to know anything?! Don't act like you understand!" screamed Julie as she raised her hand to strike Lily. She closed her eyes, but to her surprise someone grabbed Julie's hand.

"I forgot something in my room, so I went to go and get it. I was wondering why there was so much yelling," said James in an annoyed tone. "Julie, whatever I decide to do is my business, not yours or anyone else's. Stop acting like my manager."

Julie gave him a hurt look as her eyes filled with tears. "Now, just lay off. Leave Lucas alone. He has nothing to do with this," ordered James further. He let go of Julie's wrist and to Lily's surprise, he grabbed her hand as he walked off, dragging her along.

Lily stumbled forward as James dragged her along. She turned back for a moment to see the hurt look on Julie's face. Lily bit her lip because she realized that Julie cared about James a lot. How could he get so angry at someone just for caring about him? Lily wretched her hand free at that moment. She stopped cold.

"What's wrong with you?" asked James with a sigh.

"I would ask you the same thing," replied Lily as she looked at the floor. "She was only worried about you, but what you did was mean."

"Fine, whatever," said James. "I don't care." He turned and walked off.

He kept going until he reached the Great Hall. His friends were waiting for him. "Geez, James how could you forget it? You keep getting distracted," said Sirius.

"The full moon is weeks away," said James as he took a seat. "Don't sweat it."

"You guys really don't have to go through so much trouble on my account," said Remus.

"Why wouldn't we?" asked Peter. "Besides, this should be fun."

"What are you four up to?" asked a voice from behind Peter. It made him seize up and squeak. He didn't have to turn around to know who was speaking.

"Sod off, Snape!" ordered Sirius.

"I'm sure that you four aren't up to anything," said Severus Snape. His black hair was shading his eyes. His dark eyes managed to flash through. Remus looked at him in a bored manner before becoming more interested in his potatoes. 

"You don't want to look foolish again, Snape. How many times are you going to turn us in for things we haven't done? You know that your creditability is already down the tubes," said James calmly.

"I'll get you, Potter. You will go down for sure, if it's the last thing I do," said Snape. "One day you'll make a mistake. Oh, by the way, where's your little boyfriend?"

"What the Hell are you talking about?" asked James, even though he knew who Snape was talking about.

"That short kid with the red hair...I didn't know you liked red heads," replied Snape.

James' pressed his lips together. He really didn't care if anyone thought he was gay because he wasn't. Not in the slightest bit, and he was talking some pleasure out of the fact that Snape was wrong. "Whatever you say, Snape," chuckled James. 

Snape betrayed a look of surprise because he was expecting James to get riled up and start a fight. Instead, he was sitting there giving him the trademark Potter smirk. Snape's look of surprise became a scowl as he turned around and stalked off. 

Sirius looked at James, but he smiled because Snape hadn't notice the huge piece of parchment on the table. The Marauders laughed because Snape couldn't catch what was going on under his overgrown nose.

*

Lily didn't know where to go. She didn't feel like eating. At the rate she was going, she was going to starve herself. She went towards the only place where she could talk to someone who would understand. Lily was never good with understanding boys. She knew that Bella was busy because she was a Ravenclaw prefect.

She walked to the infirmary. She saw Dr. Pomfrey drinking a glass of wine. He was reading over scrolls. "Um...Dr. Pomfrey," said Lily bravely.

He looked up at her, "Ah, Mister Evans, are you ready to discuss things with me now?" he asked her. She gave him a nod. "Then, close the door." She did as he ordered.

"Now, tell me why you're here, Mister Evans. Tell me everything," said Dr. Pomfrey. 

Lily sighed and poured out her story. She told him how much she wanted to meet James Potter because she loved Quidditch and how bad everything had turned out. She told him how much she just wanted to be his friend. She felt like she had made a mess out of everything. 

Dr. Pomfrey listened without interrupting her. At the end he said, "I see your problem is that you're not being honest with yourself this way. If you can't be honest with yourself, then other people can tell."

"So, you think that he thinks I'm fake?" asked Lily. "I know that I'm pretending to be a boy, but I'm still me."

Dr. Pomfrey sighed. "That's why I can't stand listening to girls' problems. You make things so much more complicated than they really are. That's why I like men better."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. She gaped at him. "Y-you are--"

"Yes, I'm gay," finished Dr. Pomfrey. "I find women to be too complex to deal with. Men are so much more fun. In fact, I sort of fell asleep halfway through your little story."

_And he's supposed to be a doctor? What is this? There's something seriously wrong with this person. How can such a self centered person be a doctor? Isn't medicine a caring profession?_ thought Lily. _He's not a freak because he's gay. At least he's honest...but really he could stand to be a little more compassionate._

"I'm not going to give up. I'm going to stay optimistic," insisted Lily. "No matter what you say."

Dr. Pomfrey chuckled softly. "I wouldn't expect you to give up so easily. Otherwise, it wouldn't be interesting. Don't worry. I don't plan on telling the Headmaster or anyone else about your little secret, _Lucas_. I find this whole thing rather amusing."

Lily gave a sigh of relief. It felt good to be able to talk to someone. Even if it was someone like Dr. Pomfrey. She sensed that he cared just a little bit, but it was deep down inside. She sighed as she went back to Great Hall. She actually felt like eating now. 

*

Over the next two weeks, Lily tried her best to be herself. Perhaps she was trying too hard. She noticed that James and his friends had a tendency to cause trouble in the school. She now knew that the Marauders were troublemakers. 

"Where are you off to?" she asked him from her bed late one evening.

James stiffened at her question. There was a lot of preparation going on because the full moon was arriving soon. He didn't have time to stop and make up excuses to answer Lily's questions. "Why do you care? Stop pestering me!" he shouted. "Why do you think I yelled at Julie?! For who's sake do you think I did that for?! Have you ever thought of that?!"

Lily didn't say a word as he yelled at her. He was hovering over her. James finally spun around and stalked off. Lily stood up to go and follow him to apologize for being a pest. However, she felt weak at the knees and sank onto the floor. 

The moment James set off outside he felt an unexpected surge of guilt. He walked towards the kitchens. Maybe, he should apologize. He yelled at her, but she was only pestering him because she was worried about him. Maybe, he could pick up something for her at the kitchens.

Lily sat on the floor. She wasn't crying, but she wanted to. James had left the door slightly open. Frank Longbottom was walking by because he had to return Lily's notes. "Hey, Lucas. I brought back your notes," he stopped when he saw her sitting on the floor. "What's wrong?"

"I did it again. It's becoming my specialty to make James mad," said Lily as she gave Frank a sad smile. The tears started coming as she laughed. "Why am I crying?"

_I want to hug him. No. What the Hell am I thinking?_ Thought Frank as he reached out his hand. He cleared his throat. "Cry when you want to cry."

"Thank you," said Lily. Frank patted her on the head, thinking at the same time, _This is fine. This is fine._

James was walking back with some strawberry juice. It was Lily's favorite. He was wondering why he was getting so worked up over her. He stopped at the door when he heard Lily's voice. She was talking to someone.

"Sorry. I suppose I really embarrassed myself," said Lily.

"Moron. Don't worry about it," said Frank. "If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just let me know."

James was wondering if he should go inside or not. He was going to put his hand on the knob. He turned around and walked away. He ran into another Gryffindor in the hall. "Here," he said as he tossed it to the third year.

"What?" he asked.

"It's too sweet for me," said James as he walked off. He had a meeting with his friends. But somehow, he just didn't feel like keeping his appointment.

*

The next morning, James woke up to find that Lily was gone. He decided to get ready for the day, even though it was a Saturday. He wanted to go to Hogsmeade this weekend to get some more pranks from the prank shop. He was headed for the Great Hall when Frank stopped him.

"James, I need to talk to you for a moment," said Frank with a very serious look on his face.

"Sure," said James as he followed Frank to another corridor. They got up to one of the higher floors and into one of the terraces of the castle. 

Lily was wandering aimlessly around the castle and meandered outside. She didn't want to go to Hogsmeade. She stopped when she collided with someone's chest. She looked up to see Reggie Baker smiling at her. "What's wrong, Lucas?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Your eyes look red. Were you crying?" he asked with concern.

"Um..." started Lily.

"Come with me. Let's talk and get some thing to eat. We can talk about it," he said as he led her off.

Frank looked at James with narrowed eyes. James was wondering what was bothering him. Frank was usually so easy going. "What did you want to talk to me about?" asked James.

"What do you think you're doing with Lucas?" demanded Frank.

"None of your business," replied James.

"I'm making it my business," said Frank. _I don't care if this makes me gay. If it stops Lucas from crying like that again, then I'll act like this. _"What is it that you don't like about him?!" Frank grabbed James' shirt.

"You don't even know what the Hell you're talking about. You're just an outsider. Shut up, Frank," said James without any attempt to stop him. He was about to really tell Frank off, but he spotted something below. It was Reggie talking with Lily. They had gone off inside. "What the Hell?!"

"What?" demanded Frank. James wretched himself free and ran. "Hey! James! I'm not done talking to you yet! Come back here!"

James ignored Frank as he ran downstairs. _That idiot. Consorting with that playboy. Has she no sense of danger?_ He thought frantically as he ran. "Hey! I was talking to you, James!" shouted Frank after him.

_Damn it. They're gone_ thought James, still ignoring Frank.

"I know where they went, Potter," said a voice from the bushes. James whirled around. Rita Skeeter was standing there with a camera. "But, I'm not telling you where. It's going to be tomorrow's big scoop." She had a catty smile on her face.

James grabbed her. "SPIT IT OUT!" he roared. 

"In the head boy and head girl's meeting room," replied Rita, not expecting James to blow up. He pushed Rita away from him. She collide with Frank.

"Take care of her, Frank," said James as he took off running again.

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Frank.

"She's the one who's been taking those pictures of Lucas," replied James. 

"What?" asked Frank as he grabbed Rita. "You've got some nerve!"

James was running towards the head boy and girl meeting room. _Damn it. Why do I care so much? Why do I care what happens to her?_ He burst through the door without knocking. "Lucas!" he called.

Lily and Reggie were having some tea when he came into the room. She looked up at him in surprise. "James?"

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm having tea with Reggie," replied Lily. Reggie was taking a sip, while she spoke. James looked at her with a stunned look on his face.

Reggie stood up. "I have to be going. I have a date waiting for me in Hogsmeade," he announced.

"Thank you very much for the tea. It was very good," said Lily happily.

"No problem. Come back sometime," said Reggie as he gave her a wink. She smiled and nodded. He walked up to the doorway, which James was still standing in front of. "Don't pick on him anymore. Or you'll have to hear it from me," Reggie told James in a low enough tone, so that Lily couldn't hear him.

As soon as he was gone, there was another uncomfortable silence in the room. "Did I ever tell you why I quit Quidditch?" asked James.

"No," replied Lily. 

"Last year, I was supposed to be in the final match of the Quidditch game against the Slytherin. A few nights before the game, I went out with my friends. We thought it would be interesting to go to a Muggle town. You know just to look around. Besides, we didn't realize that we'd be missed. A car came out of no where. Sirius was almost hit by it, but I pushed him out of the way before anything could happen to him. The car hit me hard. But you see I had a split second to react. I could have moved out of the way, but I didn't."

"Why?" asked Lily.

"It was because I gave into the pressure. In the end, I didn't want to play anymore. All my life people have been pressuring me into doing things," said James. It was hard for him always being the center of the spotlight and never having a moment's peace.

"I had no idea," whispered Lily.

James gave her a slight smile. "I've been thinking of going back to Quidditch again. It feels right again. I should get serious about it."

"You weren't serious before?" asked Lily.

"You're one of my fans, aren't you?" asked James.

Lily's cheeks turned red as she nodded. Her eyes filled with tears. "What? Hey, don't cry. Guys don't cry," said James. 

"I'm sorry for being a pest," she said.

"You idiot, it's okay. Now, stop that," said James as he put his hand on her head. He pulled her face against his chest. "Stop crying. I haven't got a handkerchief."

Lily could hear his heart beat, but she couldn't see the light blush on his cheeks. "I don't hate you," said James. "Let's go to Hogsmeade before everyone else leaves without us," he said as he cleared his throat and started to walk off ahead of her. 

Lily ran to catch up to him. _I want to know more about him_ she thought as she smiled.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Yes, it is their fifth year, which means that the Marauders have mastered the Animagus spell to change into their respective animals. A few of the quotes should be recognizable if you have read Hanakimi's English translations. If you are interested in reading the first volume of Hanakimi, please go to my webjournal, http://remyelf.livejournal.com. 

Sorry for all the delays between each chapter. ^_^;; Forgive me or pray for me...I have school. So, I am asking for twenty reviews before I get the next part up.  Ambitious?  No.  Just trying to see if I should hurry up or not.  ^_~

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	4. Full Moon

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 04: Full Moon

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

_I have only one more minute left to get ready._ Lily quickly changed into her uniform. She knew exactly how long James took in the bathroom. She first quickly put on the vest that flattened down her chest. Next she put on her shirt and slipped on her pants. She put her socks then shoes. She looped her necktie closed and put her robes on. As soon as she finished, the bathroom door swung opened. 

James emerged fully dressed, except for his robes, which were draped on his chair in front of the desk. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Lily gave him a bit of a nod. He looked at her briefly before walking up to her. "How can you go outside with your hair looking like a bird's nest?" he asked her as he smoothed out her hair.

"What about you?" she asked defensively. 

"My hair is naturally like this. You don't have an excuse," said James. He turned and put on his robes.

"You treat me like a kid! How annoying!" exclaimed Lily as she brandished a fist at him.

"You're acting like a kid right now," said James. Just then, the door swung open. James' friends showed up. "Good morning."

"Morning, Prongs," said Sirius. "Good morning, Lucas."

"Good morning, Sirius. Remus. Peter," said Lily.

"Today's D-Day," said Sirius to James.

"You mean today is the day that James practices Quidditch again?" asked Lily.

Sirius opened his mouth and closed it. He wasn't talking about that. Of course, it was very important, but he was referring to something else entirely. "Of course. We're all looking forward to it," said Sirius.

"Hmm," said James. "Let's go and get some breakfast."

"Good morning, Lucas!" greeted Frank cheerfully.

"Morning, Frank. Max," said Lily to Frank's roommate, Maxwell Dubious. He made Professor Trelawney look like a joke because he was a very intuitive person. Most thought he really was psychic. His bed was right next to Frank's. 

"Good morning, Lucas," said Max. He always gave Lily the creeps because he had a way of reading people. Lily could swear that he knew she was a girl. "Your aura looks good today." He said in a tone that was unlike Professor Trelawney's misty tone.

"Let's have breakfast already," said James. He took a seat, and Lily took the one next to him. Sirius and Peter looked at each other briefly. James was their leader. It was his business if he wanted to bring in someone else, but he really hadn't discussed Lily at all. 

"Hey, Potter," said a cold, voice from behind. Lily turned and saw someone she had seen around, but never talked to before. He was wearing Slytherin colors. His hair was platinum blonde and his eyes were cold and gray. "I heard you were coming back to the field today," the boy drawled on. "I hope you're up for it."

Lily took an instant dislike to him. "Who do you think you are? He's ready for it!" she exclaimed defensively.

The boy turned his attention to her. "And who is this, Potter?" He leaned in forward, looking directly at her face. 

"What do you want?" she demanded. James visibly stiffened when the boy started speaking.

"I'll see you around, Potter. And this little lady, too," said the boy as he turned to leave.

"Where to do you think you're going, you asshole?!" shouted Lily. James put his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from going after the boy and giving him a swift kick in the butt.

"Calm down, Lucas," said James.

"Who the Hell was that?" she asked. 

"It's only Lucius Malfoy," replied Remus. "He's been James rival for a long as anyone can remember. He's the team captain of the Slytherin Team and their seeker." 

"Yeah, he's only overconfident because James took a break. That's all. We'll one up him on Saturday," said Sirius with a grin. 

"Hey, it's time for class," Peter reminded everyone.

Everyone split up for class. Lily couldn't shake the feeling that James and his friends were up to something. She always noticed when they had meetings. James never discussed what the meetings were about because they weren't Lily's business. She assumed that they were meeting because of the Quidditch team.

It was true. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew weren't on the Quidditch team. Then again, Peter didn't have much in the way of physical ability, and Remus was always sick. He seemed more and more pale as the end of the month approached. 

"I bet you're looking forward to the end of day, aren't you, Lucas? James will be back on the field," said Frank happily. "I'm really glad."

Lily nodded. "Frank, do you know anything about Remus Lupin's illness?" she asked.

Frank shook his head. "Not really. His friends always make people stop asking questions. For as long as I have known him, he's always been sick like that, but he's a really good Quidditch player. The last team captain always asked Remus to join, but he always said no," he said.

"I wonder if Dr. Pomfrey knows," said Lily.

"Yes, he knows, but he can't say anything. Even the Muggles have doctor-patient confidentiality," said Frank. Lily nodded and sighed. Maybe, she was making a big deal out of nothing.

*

"Okay, we go over this again. We go out to the tree just before the sunsets. That means we have to cut Quidditch practice short," said James. Sirius, Remus, and Peter nodded. "Moony, you and Wormtail, are going together to the Shrieking Shack first. Then, Padfoot and I will join you later."

"I hope this map is completely accurate," said Peter in a worried tone.

"Of course, it is. James and I doubled checked everything on it. We'll know where Dumbledore, McGonagall, and all the others are because of this little gem," Sirius quickly reassured him. "You worry too much."

"I still think this a really bad idea, Prongs," said Remus with a sigh. "I'll just do this like I normally do."

"No, we'll help you out this time. You won't be alone," insisted James. "Besides, it's interesting to see how far we can go."

Sirius decided to bring up new business, but he didn't really want to bring it up in front of Peter and Remus. It was something he wanted to discuss privately with James. "Why don't we go now, James? We'll be late for Quidditch practice," he announced.

"Okay, I'll meet you guys at the Shrieking Shack," said Remus with a smile. They weren't going to watch the Quidditch practice. 

James and Sirius walked off towards the field. Sirius waited until some time passed before he decided to bring up his concerns. "James, there's something I have to ask you," said Sirius.

"What?" asked James, stopping because he had noticed that Sirius was no longer walking with him.

"About Lucas Evans," started Sirius.

"What about him?"

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with him. Are you thinking of asking him to join up with us?" 

"No."

"Really?"

"No."

Sirius looked at James suspiciously. He wondered what was really going on with his best friend. He knew something was up, but he wasn't sure. Sirius could usually read James pretty well. "Do you know anything about Lucas Evans?" asked Sirius after allowing some silence to pass.

"What do you mean?" asked James, slightly unnerved by Sirius' question. "He's my roommate. It's not like I'm living with a hidden Death Eater, Padfoot."

"Hmm...okay," said Sirius. "Let's go to practice." James didn't like Sirius when he was suspicious of something. Sirius had a tendency to stick to something until he figured out everything about it. "Hey, Prongs! We can't start practice without our seeker. By the way, it's good to have you back." He flashed James a smile.

*

Lily was walking towards to library to finish reading for class when she collided with Lucius Malfoy in the hall. He looked at her closely.

"Hey, you're that Mudblood brat from this morning!" he exclaimed.

"Your powers of memory are astounding," hissed Lily sarcastically as she rolled her eyes at him before attempting to walk passed him. She could feel some tears pricking the corners of her eyes. They were tears of anger and outrage. How dare Malfoy call her a Mudblood?

"Wait a minute, little Mudblood, I was wondering if you knew where Potter was," said Lucius.

"I do know, but I'm not telling an overgrown half wit like you where he is. Besides, I don't think you should disturb him," said Lily.

"I think I know where he is...you're coming with me," said Lucius with a menacing grin on his face.

Lily stepped back away from him. "You're not going anywhere. And you're not taking me anywhere, you inbred snot!" she shouted.

"I didn't give you a choice," said Lucius as he picked her up. He slung her over his shoulder and took off running, while holding her like a caveman at the same time. 

"Put me down you ape!" shouted Lily as she kicked and pounded her fists against his back. 

"They're like feathers!" Lucius laughed as he commented about her blows. He stopped finally. Lily was so dizzy that she had no idea where she really was, but she could hear the sounds of swooshing broomsticks. 

"Hey! Potty!" shouted Lucius. "Look what I have!"

James stopped for a moment to look down. Sirius moved away from him because of the look of anger on his face. James zoomed back down to the ground. "Malfoy, what do you want?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, James. I tried to stop him, but he picked me up," said Lily. "Put me down you bloody bastard!"

"I wanted to see if it was true. So, you're back on the field, Potter? Pretty amazing," said Lucius. "Well...not as amazing as this little gem here. He's so light and soft. Just like a girl." He patted her butt when he said, "Just like a girl."

Lily's eyes widened when Lucius patted her behind. _I'm going to kill you, Malfoy._ Lily thought as her cheeks turned fire engine red.

James' tone dropped into a dangerously low level. "Give him back to me," he managed in a deadly calm voice. Lucius gave him a smirk before letting Lily down. 

_SMACK!_ Lucius pulled back in surprise as the back of Lily's hand made contact with his face. "You stupid ape!" she shouted before stalking off to James' side. "There, I feel better," she said as she shook the pain from her hand. It was worth it.

James stood there speechless for a moment, while the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team gathered nearby. "You brat!" exclaimed Lucius as he reached for Lily, but James blocked him. Studying the defensive look on James' face, Lucius decided to change his tactic a bit. The smirk returned to his face as he said, "Yep, he's definitely cute and spunky. I may have to borrow him sometime for a little fun. Right, Potter?"

James grabbed his shirt. "Mind your mouth, Malfoy," he warned.

Lucius grabbed James' Quidditch uniform. "I wouldn't be so sure of myself, if I were you, Potter. I'll defeat you this time. No matter what it takes."

Lily watched this with a look of horror on her face. She had never seen anything like it. She had never seen true animosity in her entire life. Then suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Lucius let go of James' Quidditch uniform, while James released Lucius' shirt. 

Lucius turned around and stalked off. "We'll see if the great Potter still has what it takes to win," he drawled without looking back. "We'll see."

Lily was outraged again. She was about to say something, but James clamped his hand gently over her mouth. She struggled until she was loose from his grip. "YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO BEAT HIM, MALFOY, YOU INBRED, HALF-EVOLVED BABOON!" she shouted.

Malfoy stiffened up as he turned around. _Is it possible that my rival is gay?!_ He thought frantically and happily when he spotted the way James was holding Lily. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Malfoy as he turned back around and walked off with a grin on his face.

There was a stunned silence from everyone. James broke it by laughing out loud. Everyone was even more surprised by his laughter. It had been a while since James had laughed out loud like that. "Um...James," said Lily, not knowing what was so funny.

"Baboon?" he managed to say through his laughter. Finally, James had regained control of himself and cleared his throat. "Um...let's all go and get cleaned up. We'll end practice early today."

Sirius watched his best friend very carefully. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that James was being very protective of "Lucas." 

Frank watched it, too. He was laughing at what Lily had called Malfoy, but everyone was more surprised that James found it hysterical. It had been a while since they had seen him that happy. It was like a dark cloud was finally lifting off of him.

*

James had another motive for ending practice early, but the only person who knew why was Sirius. He also wanted to get cleaned up. Lily was at her desk doing her homework for Professor McGonagall's class. She had the third highest grade behind James and Sirius. She wasn't out to beat them, but she did want to improve her scores.

James made sure Lily was sufficiently distracted before getting his cloak of invisibility out of his trunk. He folded it carefully and tucked it into a bag. He was going to meet with Sirius before meeting with Remus and Peter. Lily was scribbling and crossing out things. She could do a transformation very easily with her wand once she figured out the right spell, but this particular spell was trying her patience.

"Do you need any help?" asked James.

"No, I'm fine," replied Lily. "I have to get this on my own." She turned around and saw James' bag. "Are you going out with your friends tonight?"

"Yeah, but I'll be back before curfew. And if I'm not..." trailed off James.

"I won't say anything," Lily finished. She had learned a few things about living with James. He always did things his way and preferred that no one asked questions. She also knew that even though he was a prefect, he still didn't follow school rules. Who was she to report him? She was hiding a big secret of her own and she wanted James to learn to trust her.

He gave her a smile. "I'm off. See you later," said James.

"Later," said Lily as she refocused on her work.

James met up with Sirius who had the map. They both nodded without a word as they used the map to sneak out of the castle. The sun was starting to set by that time. Before transforming, they made sure that no one was watching.

Under the moonlight, a proud stag walked in front of a massive black dog. They both walked up to the tree. A rat was waiting for them. He nodded at the other animals before scurrying off to press the appropriate knot on the massive willow. It was always risky being too close to the willow as everyone found out one year, but it was only risky to those who didn't know about the knot.

The three animals walked in single file with the stag bringing up the rear, and the rat leading them through. They all came to a halt when they heard the sounds of thrashing on the other side. The dog growled to make the rat move forward. 

The sight the trio met up with reminded them of how unprepared they truly were. There was a wolf withering on the carpet and biting his own paws. He looked up at them with golden eyes. 

The stag walked forward first. He peered at the wolf with his brown eyes. The wolf lowered his head as he turned away from the trio. He whimpered slightly. The dog stepped forward, so did the rat.

The wolf lifted his head as he looked at them. They were truly his best friends.

*

Lily had fallen asleep on her homework. It wasn't very late. It was only eight o' clock. She stood up and went for a walk. She thought of going to Gryffindor Tower to talk to the other people there. Or perhaps, she should have gone to the library. She was feeling a little lonesome because of James' absence. 

_I'll go and sit with Fang for a while._ She thought happily as she went towards Hagrid's. Besides, she knew that James probably hadn't taken Fang out for his walk. Lily noticed how strange the air felt as she took Fang out for his walk.

She looked up at the full moon. Lily felt a strange shiver down her spine. It was odd. She had totally forgotten about it being a full moon. "Come on, Fang. Let's go back to Hagrid's for some tea," said Lily. She froze suddenly as Fang whimpered.

There came the sound of howling in the distance. "Let's go," urged Lily, but Fang didn't need telling twice. He was going to drag her back to Hagrid's anyway.

"All right, Lucas?" asked Hagrid when Lily came up with Fang.

"I don't know. It must be the full moon or something. Maybe, I'm just freaking out," said Lily with a laugh.

Hagrid poured her a cup of tea while Fang sat next to her. "There's nothin' ter worry about. I'm sure," he went on. He knew what Lily was talking about, but he was sure that the howling was coming from the Shrieking Shack. Along with the rest of the faculty, Hagrid knew about Remus Lupin's condition.

After another half an hour, Lily felt that it was safe enough outside to go back to her room. She was sure that James would be back by then. Hagrid didn't bother to ask why James hadn't taken Fang out for his walk. He thought that Lily was a good kid. Since Fang liked her, it didn't really bother Hagrid too much that she had volunteered to take him out. 

"Good night, Hagrid," said Lily as she walked off.

"Are yeh sure yeh don't want me walking with yeh?" asked Hagrid.

"No, it's fine. There's plenty of light out and it's only 8:40. Thanks for the tea," said Lily as she walked off happily.

She decided to take another way to the castle. Maybe, she could drop by the kitchen and grab some snacks. Hagrid's cooking wasn't really all that great, so she didn't eat much. She had slept through dinner, so she was a trifle hungry.

She had made the mistake of taking the entrance that was around the corner from the Whomping Willow. She had no idea that her human scent was caught by a creature that preferred to attack humans. 

Four animals had emerged from the willow. The rat lead the way out, while the stag, wolf, and dog followed. The animals had stopped because they could hear someone nearby. The wolf's ears had perked up. His breathing became low. _No...no...I have to stop..._he thought. 

The stag carefully looked around as the dog kept his eyes trained on the wolf. Something finally gave. The wolf took off running, ready to hunt down his prey. 

Lily was opening the door to the entrance. It seemed odd that no one was around when it was still considered early. She heard growling. Lily turned her head and saw the wolf. She took in all its features and quickly assessed that it was no ordinary wolf. It was a werewolf. "OH MY GOD!" she screamed in terror. 

The wolf took a flying leap at her. Lily froze with fear. _Someone...anyone...help me!_

* * *

Post Author's Note: Will James ever tell Lily he knows? We'll have to all wait and see. He has his own reasons later on for keeping Lily's secret. Will Sirius figure it out? Frank? How long could this possibly go on? I can't nail Hagrid's speech patterns right. I know that I have mentioned it before. It's so frustrating because he's a great character, but I can't get him right. _ Remember, Remus isn't himself when he's a werewolf. That's why Sirius and James have to turn into large animals that can handle a werewolf.

I've always wanted to do a story where Lily falls in love with a certain stag. I think I get away with it here. I can do cute. ^_^ As always, any questions will be answered in the journal http://remyelf.livejournal.com. Since asking for twenty reviews worked out so well the last time, I'll ask for twenty more. The power of evil compels you. Thanks. ^^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	5. First Kiss

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 05: First Kiss

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

_Someone...anyone...help me._ Lily prayed as she froze in place. She heard the sound of hoofs hitting the ground and coming at incredible speed. The wolf was ready to lunge at her, but he was stopped by a large stag. Lily watched as the stag approached the wolf.

They stared at each other for a moment. Lily covered her eyes. She didn't want to see the wolf attack the stag. The stag was massive compared to the wolf. A moment of silence passed, except for the pounding of Lily's heart in her ears. She opened one eye then the other. To her surprise the stag and the wolf were locked in a stare. Finally, the wolf lay down. 

Lily took that as an opportunity to run inside the castle. She didn't even bother to stop at the kitchens. She ran until she was back into the safety of the room. She closed the door behind her. She had never been so terrified in her whole life. Her heart was still pounding in her ears. 

After a moment to relax and calm back down, Lily thought about what had just happened. She knew something strange happened. How was a stag able to stop a werewolf from attacking? Lily didn't know that she played an important part by not moving when the wolf came. If she had attempted to run away before the stag had arrived, the wolf would have most likely attacked her.

Lily was overcome by exhaustion. She fell asleep on her bed without changing her clothes. She had no idea that she had cut off James' evening because he returned to the room an hour later.

James walked in quietly, so that he wouldn't frighten her. Part of him was really angry with her for putting herself in danger; another part of him was incredibly relieved that nothing had happened to her. He saw her sleeping in her bed. He shook his head and pulled the sheets over her. He fought the impulse to touch her when she snuggled into the sheets. _She's a handful, but she's cute_. James thought to himself.

He sighed to himself before getting ready for bed. He checked on her again before going to bed. _No damage done. But, I have to talk to her in the morning._

Lily didn't sleep so well. She was having a nightmare about the werewolf. She struggled and woke up. She noticed that she wasn't in her pajamas, so she decided to change, brush her teeth, and wash her face. Lily was halfway asleep while doing these things. She was too sleepy to even turn on a light. 

She stumbled towards a bed and climbed in. It was the closest bed to the bathroom. It was warm. James woke up and turned slightly. His eyes widened as he went for his glasses to confirm his suspicions. He saw Lily sleeping next to him. "Hey, you're in the wrong bed," he whispered.

Nothing. She didn't even stir.

"What's wrong with you? You really don't have a good sense of danger, do you?" asked James, still no response. "Go back to your bed." His cheeks were getting red. "Fine, I'll sleep on the floor." He could have slept on Lily's bed instead, but he wasn't sure he could because her scent was there.

James attempted to climb out of bed, but Lily's hand grabbed onto his shirt. He stopped. His heart was pounding in his ears. She was in his way. He couldn't climb over her. He settled back down and removed his glasses. He stared straight into her face, wondering if she was really asleep. Her lips were very soft looking and pink. He reached out his hand to touch them. His thumb grazed her bottom lip. He leaned forward a bit. 

_What the Hell am I doing? She's asleep. She has no idea what she's doing!_ Thought James frantically. If only the rest of the school could see him like this. No one else would ever believe he could get that embarrassed. What was she doing to him? No one had ever gotten under James' skin like her. He didn't even know her real first name. 

James stopped himself, but he pressed his forehead against hers. He could feel her breathing. James reached out and held her for a moment. He could at least indulge himself a little. He was grateful she was alive after what almost happened with Remus. After that brief embrace, James mustered up all the will power he had and turned his back to her. It was the only way he was going to be able to get some sleep.

*

Lily woke up the next morning to the sounds of birds singing outside. _It's so warm...but it's nice._ Then, she began to notice that there was breathing. Her eyes widened. Why was there someone breathing right next to her? She looked up and saw James sleeping soundly. 

It was no easy feat for him. It took him a while to really go to sleep, but Lily didn't know that. Her cheeks turned bright red before, she screamed, "What happened?! What are you doing in my bed?!"

James slowly opened his eyes. He looked at her. Her cheeks were as red as her hair. "Look around you. You're in my bed. I couldn't sleep that well because of you," he told her calmly. 

Lily got up as quick as a shot. She nearly fell back, but James caught her hand in time. "Calm down. If you get any louder, someone's going to come," he told her.

"Let me go," said Lily weakly, forgetting to keep her voice deep.

"Are you calm enough?" asked James. She gave him a quick nod before he let her go. "By the way, what happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" asked Lily nervously with her back turned. She didn't have time to think about last night. She had her arms folded over her chest. She didn't wear her vest when she went to sleep. There was a chance that James noticed something. Actually, she didn't know that he did notice something; that was one of the reasons why he had to keep his back to her during the night. 

"You went to sleep too early last night. It wasn't even ten, Lucas. What happened?" asked James very patiently.

"I went to take Fang out for his walk," mumbled Lily. 

_At least that explained why she went out last night._ James cleared his throat. "It's not a good idea to wander around the grounds late at night. You shouldn't do that," he said.

"There was something out there last night," said Lily, finally turning around. "I'm not sure."

James frowned slightly and said, "Look, from now on, we both take Fang for his walks, okay?"

Lily looked at him. He was giving her a look that she had never seen before. He actually looked concerned about her. "Okay?" he asked her again. She was making him uncomfortable. 

"Okay," agreed Lily. 

"Good," said James as he cleared his throat. "Aren't you going to take a shower now?"

"Oh, yeah," said Lily as she went and got her things for the day. James sat back down on his bed. He felt like his head was spinning. What was she doing to him? 

James composed himself while she was in the shower. He didn't know how he really felt about her. All he knew was that his senses were getting pulled all over the place. He was also doing more things because of her. He didn't really care before.

The only thing James could do was to think of something else. He wondered if Sirius and Peter were fine. They were the ones who had to help Remus after he had left. Remus was probably at the infirmary resting. James was relieved that he didn't have to attack one of his best friends. He would have for two reasons: Remus would have wanted him to and to protect Lily. 

Lily came out of the bathroom. "It's all yours," she said.

"Okay," said James as he took his stuff to the bathroom. He really needed a shower.

*

Sirius and Peter were at the infirmary, waiting for Remus to wake up. "That was close last night, wasn't it?" asked Peter out loud.

"Yeah," nodded Sirius. 

"Do you think we should tell him in case he doesn't remember?" 

"I think he does. Besides, he'd want to know if he almost attacked someone."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Still, it was fun," added Sirius quietly.

"When will James get here?" asked Peter. "What do you think is going on with that Lucas guy and him?"

"I have no idea. I can't read James these days," replied Sirius.

Peter sighed, but he didn't say anything because he heard Remus groan. "You're awake. Took you long enough," said Sirius jokingly to him.

Remus sat up and rubbed his skull. "What happened?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Peter quickly poured him a glass of water. "Thanks," he said as he took a swig of it.

"No damage done," said James as he arrived. "Sorry, I had to go to breakfast first. I brought something for everyone." He greeted them with a smile. 

"Um...who are you and what have you done with James Potter?" asked Sirius as he did a double take. James was actually smiling freely. It had been a while since Sirius had seen him do that.

"Shut up," ordered James as he threw an apple at him, which Sirius deftly caught. "Here." he said to Peter as he handed him some toast.

"Are you all right, Remus?" asked James.

"Fine," replied Remus in a monotone. His eyes were glazed over slightly. "About...Lucas...I..."

"Don't worry about it. He's fine. He didn't know it was you, so it's not a big problem," James quickly said with a shrug. "We'll know what to do the next month."

"Next month?" asked Remus as he looked at James like his head was missing. "No, we won't do this again."

"Moony, we said we were in this with you. And we are. So, what are we going to do next month?" asked Sirius cheerfully.

"First of all, we have to modify the map a bit more," said James quietly, so that Dr. Pomfrey couldn't hear them. Little did they know that the lazy doctor was sleeping in one of the backrooms and that he couldn't care less about them causing trouble. Just as long as they didn't interrupt his nap, they could do whatever they wanted.

"What do you mean?" asked Peter. "You said that the map was perfect."

"I didn't say that. Nothing is perfect, Wormtail. We made a bit of a mistake just labeling the faculty and staff on the map. We need to add students as well, so that we can keep track of everyone else better," corrected James.

Sirius nodded in agreement, but Peter still didn't understand what they were talking about. "You're right, Prongs. We need to make sure that we prevent anyone from getting hurt like last night," he murmured. 

"What happened?" demanded Remus in a quiet voice. He could only vaguely recall last night. His head was still hazy. 

James sighed and said, "Lucas went out last night to take Fang out for his walk. You smelled him coming and you almost attacked him. I stopped you just in time."

Remus' eyes widened in horror as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Dear God," he murmured, feeling sick to his stomach, remembering how Lucas smelled and how close he was to attacking him.

"But, everything's fine. Nothing happened," added Sirius quickly with a reassuring smile. Sometimes he wished his best friend had more tact than just saying things point blank like that. 

"How is he?" whispered Remus, avoiding everyone else's gaze.

"He's fine. Just a bit shaken up, but other than that he's fine," reassured James. "But, you know we improve as we go. Sirius and I will modify the map."

"I don't know if you should do this again," said Remus, but Sirius clapped his hand on Remus' shoulder. "Do you realize James that as a prefect you're supposed to take points off? You can't keep doing stuff like this. You're going to ruin your chances of becoming Head Boy."

"I'm not interested in that sort of thing, Moony. Who wants to do that? It's so boring," said James.

"Stop worrying so much, Moony. What are rules for, if they aren't meant to be broken?" added Sirius with a cheeky grin.

*

Lily and Frank were walking from their Ancient Runes class, discussing what they had gone over for the day. They were walking along and laughing when they ran into Severus Snape. He glowered at them before saying anything. "Why aren't you with your boyfriend, Evans?" he asked.

Lily's cheeks turned fire engine red before she fired back, "What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend! Why would I have a boyfriend?! I am a boy!"

"Really? I thought you and Potter were an item," said Severus thoughtfully.

"Shut up!" shouted Lily. Frank stopped her before she could punch Severus.

"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, Lucas. Let it go," whispered Frank in her ear. It was true. Professor Thorn was standing nearby. He was itching to get points off of Gryffindor.

Lily was feeling a little on edge because of what had happened last night. After time to think about it, she was now embarrassed about the whole thing. James didn't say anything. She wondered how long she could keep up the facade of being a boy. 

_But, I want to stay. I want to know more about James. He's the reason I'm here. I can't give up now._ She thought to herself. Frank looked at her wondering what she was thinking about. 

"What's wrong, Lucas?" asked Frank.

"Nothing," replied Lily with a grin. "There's nothing wrong."

"Lucas," said another voice from behind her. It was Remus Lupin. Lily was startled for a moment because he looked so pale and tired.

"Remus, are you okay? You shouldn't be up and about if you're sick," exclaimed Lily in alarm.

Remus gave her a weak smile. "No, it's all right. I'm fine. I just wanted to see if you were okay," he said.

"What happen last night?" asked Frank suspiciously. 

Lily was also suspicious. Why was Remus so concerned if she were all right? He was acting like he had done something wrong. "Nothing," chorused Remus and Lily at the same time.

Frank glared at them suspiciously. "Don't we have Transfiguration next," said Lily.

"Yes," agreed Remus as they walked off ahead of Frank.

"Hey! Wait! What happen?" demanded Frank as he trailed after them.

James and Sirius were already at their seats when Lily, Remus, and Frank entered the room. James looked up at them briefly before looking down again at his textbook. Sirius glanced at James before shaking his head. He wasn't sure what was going on. 

"Everyone please take your seats. We must get through today's lessons," said Professor McGonagall as she walked in.

Lily and Frank took their seats across the room from James, Sirius, and Remus. Peter came in late and was scolded by Professor McGonagall. He took his seat next to Remus. 

The lesson flew by pretty fast. Lily and Frank got ready to go off to lunch. "Hey, come with us," spoke up James. 

"Sure," said Lily. "Do you want to come along, Frank?"

"Why not?" asked Remus, who was trying to help out James. 

"Okay," agreed Frank with a grin. He was sure that James was only inviting him because of Lily, who Frank still thought was a boy. 

They went off to lunch together. Lily was very happy. It was the first time she felt like she was with friends, and all she could do was smile. During the course of lunch, the conversation went to Quidditch.

"We'll be having a game this weekend against Slytherin," said Sirius.

"Will you be playing, James?" asked Lily.

"I'm not ready yet, but I should be soon," replied James.

"Don't take too long or else Malfoy will think he's scared you off," said Frank as he took a sip of pumpkin juice.

"I'll be ready," said James solemnly.

"I can't wait," said Lily.

Later on, everyone went off to separate classes. By the end of the day, Lily was tired so she returned to find James studying. She was startled by the sight because he rarely studied. "Hi," she said, suddenly feeling shy again.

"Hi," he replied as he glanced up at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. It's just that I've never seen you study before," said Lily.

"Oh," he replied. "Are you going to the Quidditch game on Saturday?"

"Yes, are you?" asked Lily. 

"Sure. We'll go together," said James. It was hard for him to watch the games from the sidelines. He didn't realize how much he missed playing Quidditch.

They talked for a bit more before studying together, going to dinner, and then going to bed. This time Lily stayed in her own bed. James glanced at her in the darkness. He wondered why he felt so lonely when she was nearby.

*

"Go Gryffindor!" shouted massive crowds. It wasn't just the Gryffindors cheering, but also the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. It was a tradition in the school to be against Slytherins. Lily and James attended the game together. He was the official team captain, but Sirius was still acting as temporary captain.

"James! Lucas!" called out Remus as he caught up with them. He took a seat next to Lily.

"Good morning, Remus," said Lily.

"Morning," said James.

"I thought I'd see you guys together," said Reggie Baker as he took a seat behind Lily. "It looks like it's going to be one Hell of a game today"

"Good morning, Reggie," said Lily as she smiled at him.

"You're looking very cute today, Lucas," complimented Reggie with a grin. James perked up at this, but didn't turn his head to face the flirtatious Head Boy. 

"Now, Reginald don't cause any trouble," said Dr. Pomfrey before taking a seat next to Reggie.

"I can't believe that you're actually outside, Uncle Pierre," said Reggie.

"Don't call me that. We're at school. You're supposed to call me 'doctor.' I thought that it was more interesting outside today," said Dr. Pomfrey.

"You're related?" asked Lily.

"Alas, why deny what so many wizarding medical tests have proven time and time again?" said Dr. Pomfrey with a roll of his eyes because Lily had stated the obvious.

"Do you ladies mind if we watch the game? Because it's starting," said James without turning around. Dr. Pomfrey smirked at him, but didn't say another word.

The game went underway and everything happened so much faster than Lily had ever seen in any Quidditch game. Frank was a fantastic keeper who blocked all of Slytherin's attempts to make goals. He really was like a human wall. Sirius spent his time trying to keep an eye on the snitch but part of him wanted to go after the Quaffle because he was normally a chaser. 

Malfoy attempted to knock Sirius off his broomstick. The boys grappled with each other before Madame Hooch ordered them to stop and called a timeout. James watched the whole thing with an expressionless face. Lily wondered what he was thinking about.

The game ended with Slytherin catching the snitch, but it made no difference because they couldn't make any goals. Gryffindor scored sixteen goals because of a combination of penalty shots and regular goals. Malfoy practically threw down his broomstick, while cheers came Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.

"Let's celebrate!" shouted Frank as soon as everyone got into Gryffindor Tower. 

James and Sirius brought food from the kitchens and stuff that could only be purchased from Honeydukes, which was strange because Lily didn't remember James buying anything from there the last time they went. Everyone gathered around for the party.

Lily didn't seem to notice that she was catching the eye of many of the girls from Gryffindor. They thought that she was a cute boy, but a little on the short side. Some of the boys were looking at her as well thinking, _What a waste. Those looks on a boy._

"How did you guys get these? When we went to Honeydukes you didn't buy anything, James. Neither did you, Sirius," said Lily as she picked up some of the candy. Not that she was a complaining, James found out that she had a sweet tooth.

"We have our ways, Lucas," said Sirius as he winked at her. He felt a jab in his ribs. James had elbowed him. "What was that for?"

"Nothing. My elbow slipped," replied James. Sirius glared at him because he was almost positive that James had done it on purpose. James had done it on purpose because Sirius was unconsciously flirting with Lily.

"I would like to declare a toast to our keeper, Frank Longbottom," said Sally Clark as she held up a bottle of butterbeer. Frank turned bright red. "If it wasn't for him, the Slytherin may have won. Way to go, Frank!"

Everyone applaused. Lily was grinning from ear to ear. Frank caught sight of her smile, and his face got even redder all the way to the tips of his ears.

They kept the party going for several more hours after that until Professor McGonagall came in and told them to go to sleep.

Sirius insisted on moving a smaller celebration to James and Lily's room. He also brought a bottle of firewhiskey along with a bottle of clear liquid. Lily wasn't so sure about letting all Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Frank into the room. James didn't seem to have a problem with it.

"Let the celebration continue. It's one of the benefits of you being a prefect, James," said Sirius.

"Yeah, right," said James.

"What's that?" asked Lily, referring to the other bottle with the clear liquid.

"It's rice wine, sake. My dad's British Ministry of Magic's representative to Japan," replied Sirius. "And he brought this home when he came home for a week during the summer. I lifted it before going to Hogwarts."

"It tastes great with sweets," said Remus, observing how much Lily liked sweets.

"Oh," said Lily.

"Okay, let's dig in everyone. James, you can't have any sake or firewhiskey," Sirius reminded him.

"Why not?" asked Lily.

The four boys looked at each other for a moment. They answered in unison after come to a silent consensus, "Because when James drinks he becomes the 'Kissing Monster.'"

"What?!" exclaimed Lily as she looked at James. He didn't look at all disturbed by their claim. He folded his arms over his chest.

"What are you looking at?" he asked her. Her cheeks turned red before she turned her head.

"Anyway! Let's party!" exclaimed Sirius happily. 

It didn't take long. They went through the bottle of firewhiskey pretty fast. It was strong, so Lily stopped after a shot because it made her throat burn. Sirius laughed at her because of the look on her face. The next thing that was opened was the bottle of sake. They ate some pastries from the kitchen with it. Lily found that the sake was very potent for something that looked like water.

Lily didn't drink any more than just a sip or two of sake, but left the rest of the glass on her desk. She noticed that James was drinking water from a pitcher, so she got some water with him. She found that the pitcher was empty so she went to get more water. By that time everyone else was pretty much wasted, even Remus was halfway asleep because of the combination of firewhiskey and sake. 

James felt tired and thirsty. He had no idea that Lily had taken the pitcher of water to refill it, so he couldn't find the pitcher. He saw her glass on her desk. He was sure she wouldn't mind of he drank some of her water. James drank it on one gulp.

It didn't take long for his head to feel woozy. His vision blurred. _That water tasted weird. It tasted too sweet. Was that even water?_ His head tipped back.

Lily came back with the pitcher of water. She had to step over the boys. "James, here's more water. It's getting a bit warm in here," said Lily. She saw James tittering slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as she set the pitcher on her dresser. She stepped forward. 

James was breathing deeply as he faced her, "Hmm?"

"James, you didn't drink anything, did you?" asked Lily, realizing that he looked like he was drunk. She looked around and spotted the empty glass on her desk. It had been almost full. _Oh, no. That had sake in it. James must have thought that there was water in it._

He started to stumble towards her, stepping on Peter's hand, but he was passed out so he didn't cry out in pain. "James...you're drunk, aren't you?" asked Lily out loud as she pressed her back against the door. She slid to get out of his way, but she couldn't get passed him, not with Sirius and the others on the floor.

"Mmm..." responded James. He leaned in closer to her. Lily pressed herself harder against the door. 

_When he drinks, he becomes a Kissing Monster_ thought Lily as he reached her. Her eyes widened as his lips touched hers, locking into a firm kiss. They slid down to the floor together.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Moving too fast for you? Or am I just a horrible tease? Yes, James is your normal fifteen-year-old boy. I find that I seem to be writing him differently from the rest of the other James/Lily writers. Or is it just me? Believe or not, most of the events here are in the manga just out of order. 

Based on Lucia Dreams' question about Lily's name showing up on the map, I did add that the map hasn't been perfected yet. Most of the time people write that the Marauders have everything already perfect, but I decided to make it so that they are still trying to perfect their trouble making skills. 

For those of you who don't know, sake or rice wine is very potent that's why you're only supposed to sip it. My Japanese teacher told us that you're not supposed to swig the stuff because you'll get drunk very fast. ^^ James can't handle his liquor. Another cruel cliffie...^^ I am positively evil, aren't I? 

You know the price...twenty reviews. ^_^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	6. Catching the Snitch, Part I

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 06: Catching the Snitch, Part I

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

Lily had no idea what to do. James was kissing her. Panic overtook her. Her hand tightened into a fist. She punched him. James fell back, but he was too wasted to really notice anything. Lily touched her lips before opening the door and making a run for it.

Reggie Baker was coming back from his date with a Hufflepuff when Lily dashed passed him with warp speed. "Who was that?" asked Reggie out loud. "No running in the halls. It's dangerous!"

Lily ran outside until she was up to Hagrid's. It wasn't that she was going to take Fang for a walk, so she wasn't breaking her word to James. Fang was sitting outside. He looked at her as she stumbled over to him. "It's okay. I'm okay, Fang," said Lily as her eyes filled with tears.

Fang walked up to her, but didn't practically jump on her like he normally did. He waited for her to sit down before sitting next to her. "Why am I crying?" asked Lily out loud. _Why did I do that? Why am I so upset? It was just a kiss. I know that he didn't mean it. Why won't the tears stop?_

She touched her fingertips against her lips. Her cheeks were bright red. _That was my first kiss!_

Lily didn't know what was really wrong. She didn't know why she was so upset about James kissing her. It was something she had never expected from him. What was so awful about it? She had no idea. She just didn't know.

*

James woke up the next morning on the floor with everyone else. He noticed that his glasses were neatly folded on Lily's dresser next to the pitcher. Someone had draped blankets over him and the other boys last night. He knew that Lily must have done it. He walked up to her desk and saw a neatly written note on it that made him feel uneasy.

_Went to the library to work on my Ancient Runes essay. -- Lucas_

James felt something sore just under his right eye. He touched it gingerly and felt pain. "My head hurts," whined Sirius as he opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" asked Frank out loud.

"We're still in James' room," replied Remus. "Don't talk too loud."

"Everyone stop talking so loud. Why does my hand hurt?" asked Peter.

"What happened to your eye, James?" asked Sirius as he squinted a bit because his eyes weren't adjusting to the daylight.

"I have no idea. I woke up like this," said James. "Let me check." He went to the bathroom as everyone else tried to get up. "How did I get a black eye?" he asked out loud.

"Where's Lucas?" asked Frank.

"I don't know. I don't care," muttered Sirius as he clutched his skull. Remus stretched out his body, while Frank read the note on Lily's desk.

"That's weird. Lucas finished his essay in class yesterday," said Frank thoughtfully. 

"It's Sunday. Why would anyone go to the library on a Sunday?" asked Sirius out loud. "He's weird."

"Shut up," said James and Frank in unison.

"Whatever," said Sirius with a dismissive hand wave. "I'm going back to sleep in my room. See you later."

"Me, too," said Peter.

Remus wasn't saying anything. He was thinking about something. It was strange the night that he almost attacked Lucas. He could have sworn that he had heard someone scream out loud before he came. He closed his eyes briefly, attempting to replay the words in his head, "_OH MY GOD!_" Remus now remembered something important: that was the voice of a girl. 

"What's wrong, Remus?" asked James, snapping him out of his thoughts. Frank was also looking concerned. He poured Remus a glass of water from the pitcher that was on Lily's dresser. "Here," said Frank as he handed Remus the glass. 

"It's nothing," said Remus as he forced a smile on his face. He downed the water before standing up. "I'm going back to the room, too. Come on, Frank."

"Okay. See you later, James. Tell Lucas, we're sorry about the mess," said Frank as he walked out with Remus.

James wondered what had happened. He touched the bottom of his eye. It looked like someone had punched him. He sat down on the bed and looked around him. "Great. At least, they could have cleaned up this mess," he muttered as he looked around him.

*

"Dr. Pomfrey? Are you here?" asked Lily as she walked in quietly, seeking out someone to talk to other than Fang. Someone who could give her feedback and advice. She was probably being too hopeful, if she thought that Dr. Pomfrey was going to give her advice.

"What is it, Mr. Evans?" asked the doctor as he snuck up on her.

"AH!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Dr. Pomfrey rolled his eyes at her. "What's your problem?" he asked her.

"Um...I don't know if I should tell you," said Lily.

"Fine, I don't care," said Dr. Pomfrey. "Would you mind helping me restock the cabinet? It seems that flu season is in full swing. I have to check our inventory."

"Sure," said Lily as she followed him. They spent several minutes getting the cabinet in order. He told her which potions he needed. 

"Now, tell me what's wrong?" asked Dr. Pomfrey.

"He kissed me," said Lily without looking the doctor in the eye.

"I see," said Dr. Pomfrey. "Didn't you want him to?"

Lily's cheeks turned bright red again as she turn her head away from the doctor. "I don't know," she muttered. "I'm so confused." _Did I want him to kiss me? What was so horrible about it? It was a nice kiss. _

"And he thinks you're a boy?" asked Dr. Pomfrey thoughtfully. "How interesting."

"He was drunk!" exclaimed Lily.

Dr. Pomfrey's eyes widened. "What? You mean there was drinking going on?"

Lily covered her mouth as soon as she said it. _Oh, no! What did I just do?! We'll all be in trouble because of me! I'm so stupid!_

"I was wondering if any of you English knew how to have fun," said Dr. Pomfrey with a laugh. He had attended school in France, at Beauxbatons. Lily looked at him with her mouth hanging open. "What? Oh, you were expecting to get into trouble, Lucas?"

Lily nodded at him. "I guess I'm really annoying you, aren't I?"

"Not at all. At least you're not complaining about injuries and illnesses like the others. The English have a low tolerance for pain. Besides, if I wanted to turn in you, I would have done so weeks ago," said Dr. Pomfrey.

"Thank you," said Lily.

She had no idea that James had walked in during their conversation. He came in quietly to get something for his eye. He had deduced what had happened. He touched his eye, then his lips. _What am I going to do?_ He thought to himself.

*

On Monday, James and Sirius were practicing on the Quidditch field after school. James' eye was healed instantly thanks to Dr. Pomfrey's healing potion. James kept quiet until Lily left the infirmary. The doctor seemed extremely amused at James' injury. James was starting to wonder if the doctor thought he was gay. Or if Dr. Pomfrey knew that James knew the truth about his roommate. There was no way to figure out the sly doctor.

"What's wrong with you?!" demanded Sirius as he hovered next to him. "You've been distracted since Sunday. Don't tell me you're still hung over. I never saw you drink anything."

"Don't ever do that again," muttered James as he glared at Sirius.

"Do what?" asked Sirius innocently.

"Bring any alcohol into my room," answered James. He was being logically angry with Sirius. _If Sirius hadn't brought the sake to the room, I wouldn't have messed up with Lucas. Damn him._

"It's not my fault you can't handle your liquor," said Sirius with a laugh, but he stopped when he saw the serious look on James' face. "Look, nothing happened. You didn't do anything, right?"

James wouldn't look him in the eye. Lily was acting overly happy to cover up the fact that she was upset at James. It was bothering him. He wanted to do something to make up for it, but he didn't know how. He was always so clumsy when it came to girls. He couldn't ask Sirius about her. 

"What did you do?" asked Sirius. "I wish I wasn't wasted at the time!"

"You're too eager," muttered James as a reply. "Go over there."

"Don't pull rank on me," said Sirius.

"Do as I say," ordered James.

"Prongs, you're really no fun at all," said Sirius with a grin as he sped off.

Lily was watching from the stands. She kept coming and watching without James noticing for a while. She was watching his form. He was really good on a broomstick. However, he wasn't up to playing in a real game just yet, but he was definitely getting there. 

Lily's owl, Orpheus, flew to her with a note tied to his leg. Lily untied the note and ruffled his feathers. "Thanks, Orpheus." 

She read the envelope. It was from her older brother, Eric. He was living in America with her mother. "Oh, he's in England right now," said Lily as she read the first part. She froze when she read the next line. She stood up and quickly and ran to the castle. 

_Eric is coming! What am I going to do?!_ She thought in alarm. She ran to the only place where she could get some help. "Dr. Pomfrey!" she shouted as she stormed into the room.

Dr. Pomfrey was at his desk and nearly fell over when she came in. "What is it?" he demanded with some annoyance.

Lily was breathing deeply. "I need some girls' clothes," she managed to gasp.

"What? And you think just because I'm gay that I can get you girls' clothes?" asked Dr. Pomfrey. "That's very presumptuous of you. I'm insulted."

Lily hung her head down. She turned to leave, but Dr. Pomfrey caught her arm. "Wait, I didn't say I wouldn't help you. My sister attends this school. She's in Ravenclaw."

"Wait, my friend Arabella goes to this school, too. I completely forgot," said Lily.

"Well, but you can't just ask for clothes. They'll have to drop them off here. But, why do you need girls' clothes anyway?"

"My brother, Eric, is coming for a visit in a nearby Muggle town. He doesn't know that I'm posing as a boy," Lily told Dr. Pomfrey.

"Okay, I see. We'll arrange everything," agreed the doctor.

James saw her run off during the practice. He wondered what had happened. He still didn't get a chance to talk to her about what happened before. He went back to their room to take a shower and came out to find Lily looking through her trunk.

"What's going on?" asked James as he came out of the shower without his shirt on.

"Not--" she started as she turned around. Her cheeks turned bright red before turning back around. "Nothing, nothing's wrong. Whatever gave you the idea that anything was wrong?"

"Right," said James as he put his shirt on. "Are you going to the library tonight again?"

"Yes," said Lily as she stood up and shut her trunk. She found the bag she was looking for. "See you later." She made a quick exit out of the room before James could ask her anymore questions.

James frowned as he sat as his desk. He was wondering if she were mad at him or planning something. He knew when someone was up to something. _She's definitely up to something. _

_*_

Lily woke up very early the next morning. She had made arrangements for Frank to take notes in most of her classes. She was going to have her meeting with her brother, but she had to catch a ride to the meeting place. She crept by quietly. She was glad that she had taken a shower the night before.

James heard her leave and woke up when she shut the door. He had been awake around the same time she had been. James sat up. He decided to follow her. He had no idea why he was acting so possessive towards her. All he knew was that he didn't want her to get into any trouble. He quickly got dressed and followed her. He stopped when he reached the corner next to the infirmary. Lily waved goodbye to Dr. Pomfrey as she ran off with the bag she hunted for last night. This peaked James' interest. He continued his pursuit.

Lily stopped to go to the ladies' room at Hogsmeade and changed her clothes. James hid behind some bushes as he watched her come out of the ladies' room in a blouse and a skirt. She was even wearing some hair clips in her hair. She even put on some lip gloss on her lips. "She really is a girl," whispered James. His cheeks blushed a bit. He pulled himself together as he followed her. He followed her until they were in a Muggle town.

James remembered the town very well. It was where the car had hit him. He continued to follow her until he trailed her to the train station.

"There you are!" exclaimed a tall blonde, blue eyed man walked up to Lily. "I was wondering if you'd get here!" He picked Lily up off the ground.

"Eric!" she exclaimed happily as he swept her off her feet.

"You little wild child," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. 

James felt an twinge go through him for a moment. "How have you been? I want to take a good long look at you," continued Eric.

"Um...I'll tell as soon as you put me back down," said Lily. "This is getting embarrassing."

"What do you mean?" asked Eric in his typical clueless manner. Eric was holding her up like a child. There were people staring at them. "Oh," he said as he realized what she was talking about.

James watched the blonde put her down. "Good," whispered James in relief. He watched them walk off together. He wondered if he should follow them or not. _I should go back to Hogwarts. This doesn't concern me. It's none of my business. _James sighed before walking back towards the school.

Lily and Eric sat down at an outdoor cafe. "I liked you better with long hair," said Eric.

"I like it short. There's less fuss in the morning," said Lily.

"I see," said Eric with a sigh. He started to finger the rim of his cup. "I was just thinking..."

"About?"

"How could you just leave America while your big brother was away in college like that?! You made me worry so much, leaving like that without warning!" exclaimed Eric.

_That's right. I didn't tell him that I was going back to England. I was afraid he'd stop me. _Lily bit her lip guiltily. "I'm sorry," she said.

"So, did you meet that Quidditch player you admire so much?" asked Eric in an annoyed tone. He was a Muggle like just like every other member of Lily's family. Eric supported Lily being a witch, unlike their sister Petunia who thought the world should revolve around her. 

_Come to think of it, Eric never really liked James Potter that much._ "Yes," admitted Lily happily.

"Good for you," he said in a forced way.

"What brings you to England?" asked Lily.

"I came here for a medical conference in Oxford, but I figured I should pay you and Petunia a visit. However, Petunia says she doesn't want to see me," said Eric.

"You know how Petunia is, Eric," said Lily with a sad smile. Petunia was always so self-centered. Lily knew it stemmed from the fact that Petunia wasn't as smart as Eric or a witch like Lily. The more Lily and Eric tried to make up for it, the worse Petunia got.

"I was wondering if I could visit your school, even though I'm just a Muggle," said Eric. "I want to check if it's adequate enough for your education," said Eric as he took a sip of his drink.

Lily swallowed, even though she didn't have anything in her throat. She looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't think so..." she trailed off.

*

James came back to Hogwarts to find that he had missed all the morning classes. Sirius spent the next class interrogating him about his whereabouts. James gave him no answers. After a while, Remus tried, but failed. Just before lunch, Frank caught up with them to give James a copy of the notes from the classes he had with Lily to give to her.

"Here's the notes I took. I wanted to give them to you before I forgot," said Frank as he handed the parchments to James.

"Okay," said James with a nod.

"Ah. I see now," said Sirius thoughtfully as he cast a meaningful look at Remus. Peter sat there as clueless as ever. 

"I've got to run. I'll see you guys later," said Frank as he left.

"So, Lucas isn't here right now, is he?" asked Sirius as soon as Frank left.

James didn't give him a reply. He put the notes into his bag. "He had a meeting this morning. I guess Dumbledore gave him the okay to go," said James, thinking about the blonde guy he saw earlier. _Who was that guy? Why was he so familiar with her? Why am I so concerned? It's none of my business, right? Right?_

"I'm back," said Lily as she came in. She had changed clothes before returning to school. She looked more like a boy again. James wanted to shake his head as he thought, _Who does she think she's fooling?_

"Here are your notes that Frank took for you," said James as he took them out of his bag and gave them to her.

"Thanks. I'll have to thank him later," said Lily.

"Are you hungry, Lucas?" asked Remus.

"No. I had something to eat when I met with my brother," replied Lily.

"You have a brother?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, I have a picture of him, too," said Lily as she pulled a picture out of her pocket. It was a Muggle photograph. James looked at it along with the others. _That's the blonde guy I saw this morning._

"You are such a baby, carrying a picture of your brother like that," said a very sarcastic voice from behind them. Lily turned around and saw that it was Lindsay Carlson. She looked directly at Lily with her nose upturned. She also a Gryffindor.

"What's wrong?" asked Reggie Baker as he came up from behind her. Lindsay's face turned bright red as she turned around. 

"Nothing. We're just looking at a picture of Lucas' brother," replied Sirius.

"I see," said Reggie as he peered at the picture. "Yes. I see the resemblance. You're just a cuter version of him, Lucas." He chuckled slightly.

"I don't look like him!" exclaimed Lily. She really didn't want to be compared to her brother like that.

"Well, I suggest every finish up lunch and go off for class. I'll talk to you all later," said Reggie as he walked off. Lindsay's eyes followed him as he left. She turned her eyes back on Lily as soon as he was gone. She gave Lily a death glare before turning on her heels and leaving. Lily was perplexed at her actions. 

"What wrong with her?" asked Lily.

"She's had her eye on Reggie Baker since day one," replied Sirius. "She must think you're competition."

"What?" asked Lily incredulously. "I can't be competition. I'm a boy!"

"Yeah, but we can't be sure about Reggie. After all his uncle is Dr. Pomfrey," argued Sirius.

"Just because the doctor is gay doesn't mean that everyone else in his family is," said Lily. "Like in my family, just because I'm a wizard doesn't mean that everyone else is. They're all Muggles."

"That's true," agreed Remus. 

"Yes, I suppose it is," said Sirius. "What do you think, James?"

"I think we should go to class," responded James.

James admired her for the fact that she hadn't messed up in her speech once. She didn't say "witch" instead of "wizard." However, he still thought that someone else was bound to notice that she wasn't a boy sometime soon. James was sure that another Marauder would figure it out soon enough. 

They went to class and worked on making potions for Professor Thorn who had spent most of the time giving points to Slytherin. He took points off when Lily had gotten the potion correct on the grounds that she had done it too quickly, ruining Lily's mood for the rest of the day.

"I can't believe that bloody git!" muttered Lily as she stormed out of the classroom. Frank was walking next to her. James and Sirius were close behind.

"Don't say that too loud," said Frank. "It's okay. We beat Slytherin every year anyway."

"I know, but he took points off because I finished too early! That's so stupid," said Lily furiously.

"Calm down," said Frank.

"Let's get ready for Quidditch practice," said James. "First let's drop off our stuff."

James and Lily went their separate ways from Frank and Sirius. They went off to their room. James dropped off his bag and went to change for practice. Lily dropped her bag and quickly changed clothes while James was in the bathroom. It was part of their routine. Lily knew exactly how long James took to change clothes, while James listened at the bathroom door to make sure she was done changing.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he came out of the bathroom.

"Yep," replied Lily with a nod.

They started to walk off to the Quidditch field. _I'm really glad things got back to normal after what had happened on Saturday. He seems okay now. His eye was healed up by Dr. Pomfrey pretty quickly. As long as he didn't notice anything, it's fine._ Lily thought as she walked next to him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" demanded an angry, familiar voice. Lily froze because she knew who it was.

"E-Eric? What are you doing here?" asked Lily as she looked up at him nervously. _Oh, no. James is going to find out I'm a girl._

Eric Evans stalked up to them and grabbed her by the hand. "What do you mean? I said I wanted to check out the school. Why aren't your properly registered in the school? I had to cover up the fact that your application had a mistake in it! But, now that I see...I get it. You lied!" he shouted furiously as he gripped her wrist harder.

"Eric...calm down. I can explain!" cried Lily.

"What's there to explain? You're lucky I didn't say anything. You're going back home to America right now!" shouted Eric.

"I don't want to go back!" exclaimed Lily as she struggled against her brother's vise like grip.

"Yes, you are!" shouted Eric.

"No, I'm not!" fired back Lily angrily.

James stepped in at that moment. He put his hand on top of Eric's. "He doesn't want to go back to America. You can't force him to, if he doesn't want to," he told him in a calm voice.

"Who the Hell are you?" demanded Eric. 

"James Potter," replied James.

"Ah ha! You're the reason why she came here! What have you done?!" shouted Eric, not knowing that he accidentally let Lily's true gender slip, but James let it go. He pretended not to notice. 

"Nothing," said James.

"You're that Quidditch player, aren't you?" sneered Eric.

"Stop!" shouted Lily.

"I won't. Hmm...you're going to practice, aren't you?" asked Eric calmly. Lily didn't like it when he had that look on his face.

"Yes," replied James.

"Then, _he_ can watch you play," said Eric. "Then, you'll go back to America after that. That's why you're here, isn't it?" he said to Lily.

"No, he hasn't played any matches yet," said Lily.

"I see. Then, I want to see a match," said Eric.

"No! He can't. He's still trying to get over an injury--" Lily stopped herself by clamping her hand over her mouth. _What have I done?_

"I see. This should make things very interesting for both you. After all, I want to be fair about this," said Eric as he released his hand over his sister's wrist.

"What are you talking about?" demanded James as he looked at Lily in alarm. He didn't like where this was going. He wondered why her brother hadn't expose her yet.

Eric chuckled, which made Lily visibly nervous. She didn't even dare look at James. "I said I would be fair, right? Okay, here's the deal: if he can catch the Golden Snitch in a real game while I am here, then you can stay. And I won't say anything to any of our parents."

Lily stammered, "I-it's not fair!" She cursed herself for telling Eric all about Quidditch. He was one of the few Muggles who had ever seen a Quidditch game.

"No. It's perfectly fair, _Lucas._ Besides, I'm not saying that his team has to win, but he has to prove to me that he's really a good seeker." Lily stared at him with her mouth agape.

"I'll do it," agreed James in a quiet voice. He would anything to keep her by his side.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Wow. What will James do? Will he be ready enough to play Quidditch and catch the snitch to keep Lily in England? Or will he fail? Why hasn't Eric expose his sister? It has to do with the fact that their parents are divorced and Lily being his favorite sister. He doesn't want her to be kicked out of the school. He wants her to leave on her own or through his coercion. If Lily gets kicked out of Hogwarts for posing as a boy, she may not be able to go to another decent wizarding school again. James seems to be going back and forth between denial and really knowing how he feels. It seems like Remus might know the truth about Lily. We'll have to see next time.

Yes, someone said something about the number of reviews I've been asking. I want twenty for each chapter. It's supposed to give me enough time between to write the next chapter. I may have to up the number a bit. You people are really fast at reviewing. Then again, some of you might have me on Author Alert. Give me twenty. And I'll try my very best to get the next chapter out soon. ^^

Go to http://remyelf.livejournal.com for any questions and extra comments. ^^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	7. Catching the Snitch, Part II

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 07: Catching the Snitch, Part 2

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

"I'll do it," agreed James in a quiet voice.

Lily froze in place, while Eric loosened his grip on her wrist. "No!" exclaimed Lily after getting over the shock.

"Fine with me," said Eric. _Then, Lily gets to see him play. After that, I can still convince her to come home with me. Even after he catches the snitch. Hahahahahaha! Okay, now it's time to stop the evil laugh. _Eric had a huge grin on his face.

"I hate you!" screamed Lily as she glared at him. 

Eric froze. The grin slipped off his face. He looked like he had been run over a tank. _She hates me? How could she hate me? I'm only doing my duties as her older brother, protecting her innocence from the evil boy. _

James would have laughed at the look Eric had on his face because he looked like he was crumbling. James couldn't laugh because Lily was upset.

"The next game is in two weeks. It's against Ravenclaw," said James calmly. "We'll see you there. Come on, Lucas. We have to go to practice."

Lily looked at him briefly before following Jamee, but not before casting one last look at her brother. Lily had a very bad feeling about the whole thing. James didn't seem disturbed by it at all. She wondered why he was willing to go through all that trouble just for her. She couldn't voice her opinion because they had run into Sirius.

"What was the hold up?" asked Sirius as he looked at Lily for an explanation.

"Nothing. By the way, I'll be playing in the next game," said James quietly. 

"What?" asked Sirius incredulously. He didn't think that James would be ready to play. "Are you sure?"

"I haven't got much of a choice," said James. _I am not going to lose her. Not when I can do something about it. _James walked ahead toward the field. "I have to practice."

Sirius looked at Lily again and asked her, "How did you do it? I didn't think he'd go back to the field."

"I don't know," said Lily sheepishly. She really didn't want to answer Sirius' questions because she was feeling guilty. She didn't make eye contact with Sirius as she walked off. Sirius frowned as he followed her to the Quidditch field.

The practice went smoothly. James was determined to practice hard. He wasn't about to be scared off by Lily's older brother. Eric was a Muggle, while James was a wizard. However, James doubted that Lily would be happy if he zapped her brother with a curse. James was very tempted to pull a prank on Eric, but he decided against it. 

Lily left during the practice to go and visit with Fang. She was really worried about her future at Hogwarts. Fang wasn't being very helpful because he was trying to make her take him for a walk. "I can't walk you, Fang. I promised James I wouldn't go off by myself near that forest," she told him.

Fang looked at her funny as if to say, "You don't have to do what he tells you."

"I want to stay here. I'm just barely getting to know him. I want to stay," she whispered.

James cut the practice short because everyone else got worn out before him. "You call yourselves a Quidditch team?" he asked.

"What's up with him?" asked Frank, who was probably the least tired compared to the others.

"He's gone mad with power," said Sirius. 

James looked around the stands. "Where'd he go?" asked James.

"Lucas? I think he left in the middle of practice," said Gregory Martin, one of the Beaters.

"That's not like him. He always stays for all of the practices, even when James wasn't practicing," said Frank worriedly. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing," lied James as he walked off the field to go and look for her. He knew where she had a tendency to go when she was alone: the infirmary, their room, or to visit with Fang. James decided that since he was already outside, he would check Hagrid's first. 

Sure enough, he saw her sitting next to the oversized puppy. Fang had gotten bored with her and was lying down snoozing. If he had been awake, he would have already signaled James' presence. He decided to sit with her for a while, but he didn't want to be too obvious about wanting to be with her. 

Lily sighed as she looked at Fang. "The least you can do is pretend you're awake," she muttered. She heard the sound of hooves coming towards her. She looked up and saw a stag. It wasn't just any stag. It was the same stag from the night that she was almost attacked by the werewolf. The stag walked up to her. She stood up slowly.

"Hello again," she said softly, thinking that any sudden noise would scare the stag away. He looked at her with his big brown eyes. "You're certainly a handsome fellow, aren't you though?" She stroked the area just above his nose. The stag licked the palm of her hand. 

"You seem to come whenever I need you the most? Are you my guardian angel?" asked Lily. The stag nuzzled her hand. "Do you grant wishes?"

The stag looked at her with his big brown eyes. He gave her an assuring gaze. Lily smiled at him. He licked her palm as if to answer her yes. "I want to know him. That's all I really wish for, can you do that for me?" asked Lily. She stayed with the stag for a while until the sun began to set. Then she bid the stag goodbye because she really didn't want to take the risk of being outside in the dark. 

The stag watched her leave before taking a secret passage to get inside. Lily saw Sirius, Remus, and Peter talking amongst themselves. They stopped when they saw her. "Lucas, do you know where James went? He disappeared right after practice," said Remus.

"I haven't seen him," said Lily.

"I'm here," said James as he came up from behind them. 

"Where were you?" asked Sirius.

"Out and about," replied James. "Let's go and get some dinner. I'm starving."

"There's something going on that we should know about," said Sirius. Lily looked at him nervously.

"What are you going to do about it, Sirius?" asked Lily.

"I'm going to play detective and find out. Who's with me?" asked Sirius.

"I think you should mind your own business," said Remus. "Come on. Let's go to dinner."

Lily wasn't concerting at all during dinner. She was spilling food everywhere as a result. Hardly anyone else noticed it, but James did. "What are you doing, Lucas? You're getting food everywhere. Stop daydreaming," he told her.

She looked at him. James started to wipe her cheek. "Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Remus started chuckling at them. "What?" asked James.

"You're like a mother cat caring for her kitten," observed Remus. Frank and Peter laughed along with Remus, while Sirius looked at James strangely.

James glared at them. "Who's a mother cat?" he asked, only succeeding in increasing their amusement. "It's not a bad thing. That's just how he is," said Max, Frank's roommate.

"I suppose so," agreed Frank, getting over his fit of laughter.

"James has always liked to take care of things. Look at Fang," said Remus thoughtfully.

"Are you comparing me to a dog?" asked Lily.

"Enough," said Sirius, unable to continue listening to such a strange conversation. James was getting weirder and weirder. The person he was blaming for it was Lily. He was starting to wonder more about her. Or rather him. Sirius wondered why James was so concerned about another guy like that. It wasn't normal. 

"I'm done," announced James as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius.

"Back to the Quidditch field. I have to practice some more," said James. Lily looked down on her plate as he left, wondering why it mattered so much to him.

*

Eric was staying at a nearby village close to Hogsmeade. He had some magic in him, but not enough to really make him much of a wizard. He was studying to be a doctor in America. He didn't like the thought of his kid sister living with some guy.

_Honestly, how could anyone be as stupid as James Potter? Didn't he notice that Lily's a girl? _Eric thought grumpily. Little did he know that someone was watching him. 

Dr. Pomfrey had gone to the Muggle village because he liked to walk around with the Muggles. They fascinated him. Dr. Pomfrey had seen Eric near the school earlier, but didn't hear what they were talking about. _How intriguing. And he's blonde. I like blondes. _He thought as a smiled spread across his face. He walked up to Eric's table.

"Excuse me?" asked the French doctor as he looked Eric over.

Eric looked up at him. Eric's eyes were identical to Lily's green orbs. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"I am currently a physician at a nearby school. You know what school I'm talking about, right?" asked Dr. Pomfrey, his blue eyes were practically dancing. _He is cute. Like his sister, but only cuter._

"Oh, that school," said Eric quietly as he lowered his voice. 

"Yes. I saw you today. You were talking to two of the students," said Dr. Pomfrey. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"Eric Evans. Actually, I'm studying to be a doctor," replied Eric.

"I see. So, you're related to one of the students. Very interesting student body this year. Many transfer students from other schools," said Dr. Pomfrey calmly.

Eric took a sip of his soda as he heard Dr. Pomfrey talk. He was only half listening to him. He really didn't care about what was going on in Hogwarts. "Yes, one of the new students has been most interesting for me. You see he's been hiding his true gender and getting away with it. He's actually a girl," went on Dr. Pomfrey, he whispered the last part. 

Eric spit out his soda in surprise. "What?" he sputtered. 

Dr. Pomfrey smiled sweetly at him. "You're her older brother, aren't you? She told me you'd be paying a visit."

"I-I...you know?!" 

Dr. Pomfrey nodded and the smile never slipped. "Now, I want to know what you did."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Eric stiffly. "Don't bother using your powers on me."

"I don't need to use my 'powers' because I have charm, Mr. Evans. Your younger sibling will eventually tell me everything, so it would be easier if you just told me now," said Dr. Pomfrey.

Eric opened his mouth and looked around. There weren't that many people paying attention to their conversation. Eric thought about it. If Dr. Pomfrey knew Lily was a girl, then he really was a confidant. "How could any faculty member allow a student to get away with that?" demanded Eric angrily.

"Because she has made things very interesting for me. I didn't really want to come to the school. I thought it would be boring, but I was wrong. Anyway, you still haven't answered my question. Since I've been so nice about answering your questions, you should answer mine," said Dr. Pomfrey. He was actually flirting with Eric at this point, but Eric was too dense to notice. 

Eric decided it was best to answer the doctor's questions and told him about the deal he had made with James Potter. "However, even if he does catch the snitch, all I have to do is tell her that I'll still say something. Then, she'll have no choice, but to go home with me."

"Do you really think that's right?"

"What do you mean?"

Dr. Pomfrey laughed. "And you want to be a doctor? You'll never make a good doctor because you don't understand how people feel."

"Look, you don't understand. You don't have a younger sister."

"As a matter of fact, I do. You have no idea how much she's really helped him. He hasn't fully recovered yet because he was unwilling to play in a game. That was the last part of his recovery." Dr. Pomfrey's eyes were penetrating into Eric's. 

Eric felt thirsty and reached for his glass, but Dr. Pomfrey reached out at the same time. His hand was touching his. Eric looked at him in surprise. He knew that it was no accident. "W-what?"

"I'm the type of person you fear the most," said Dr. Pomfrey as he gave him a grin.

"Are you gay?!" shouted Eric out loud.

"Bingo."

"Oh, my God. Don't touch me!" Eric stood up and quickly made a run for it without paying the bill.

"Hey! Come back here! I wasn't on a date with you, you know," said Dr. Pomfrey as he started laughing. The waiter came, looking at him oddly. Dr. Pomfrey sighed and paid the bill. 

*

Lily was doing her homework, but not really concentrating. The astronomy chart was right in front of her, but she wasn't looking at it. The door opened and closed. James put his broomstick against the wall and proceeded to take off his cloak.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Homework," replied Lily. Several moments passed before James was uncomfortable enough to demand what was wrong. He walked up to her and leaned in to see what she was doing. 

Lily's heartbeat started going faster as she gazed at him. He was so close. She looked down from his eyes, but she was now looking at his lips. 

"Lucas?" asked James.

_This is the person who gave me my first kiss._ Lily thought as she tried to compose herself. She picked up a scroll of parchment on her desk and hit him on the head with it. "There's nothing wrong! Don't come any closer," she exclaimed. 

James blinked back in surprise as he pulled back from her. "How's your training?" asked Lily in a quiet voice. _I am so stupid._

"Fine," replied James with a smile.

"That's good, but you don't have to go through all this trouble just for me. I don't want you to push yourself too hard," said Lily. 

James smiled at her again. "I am also doing this for myself. I am tired of running, Lucas."

Lily gave him a smile that came with a look that made James' cheeks turn red. He turned around and went to his trunk. "I'm going to take a shower."

*

Eric was feeling rather flustered and quite shaken. He was completely out of breath. He heard footsteps come up to him. It was Dr. Pomfrey.

"Well, have you had time to think of the situation?" asked Dr. Pomfrey.

"You!" exclaimed Eric.

"You know Freud said that those who are against a group of people have leanings towards it. They call it reaction formation. Freud was a Muggle, but a brilliant man nonetheless," said Dr. Pomfrey. "And I wasn't referring to what just happened. I'm talking about your sister's situation."

"What's the point? What she's doing is wrong? She can't stay here and live like that. I won't allow it," said Eric stubbornly.

Dr. Pomfrey sighed and shook his head. "Maybe, it's you who doesn't get it. You're too narrow minded. If you don't open your eyes, you'll lose her." 

Eric scowled at him. Dr. Pomfrey thought that look made him more adorable. He grabbed Eric's necktie and gave him a kiss smack on the lips. Eric's eyes widened in shock as Dr. Pomfrey's lips made contact. _This is just to piss him off_ thought Dr. Pomfrey. 

Dr. Pomfrey broke it off and smiled at Eric. "See you!" declared the good doctor as he walked off. Eric grumbled as he wiped his mouth.

*

For the next two weeks, James trained intensely. He was either on the Quidditch field or at the Gryffindor common room, discussing the upcoming game. James from time to time took breaks to just sit with Lily in their room. She asked about his progress from time to time. He asked whether or not she had gone to meet with her brother again, but she said no.

"You really should go and see him before the game," said James. He wasn't that worried.

"I don't think so. He makes me so angry," said Lily.

"He's only doing that because he loves you," said James calmly. 

Lily blinked at him. Surely, James wouldn't say things like that to another guy. Then again, everyone agreed that James wasn't a normal guy. She was starting to wonder if James knew the truth. 

"Don't stare at people like that," said James as he flicked her forehead.

"OW!" exclaimed Lily.

"Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's an important day," said James as he went to bed. "Good night."

"'Night," said Lily as she rubbed her forehead. She decided to go to sleep as well. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness when the light was turned off. She looked across the room and saw James sleeping soundly. It was only then that she could fall asleep.

The next morning, she woke up to find that James had already taken a shower and dressed for the game. "I'll wait for you. Try not to take too long because we still need to go to breakfast," said James.

Lily nodded her head, then shook it to get all the cobwebs out. She went to her trunk and got her things. She went to the bathroom and took an extra long shower. As soon as she was out, she quickly dressed and joined James and the rest of the Quidditch team in the great hall.

"Good morning Lucas," said Frank brightly.

"'Morning Frank. Good morning everyone," said Lily as she smiled. She felt like butterflies were in her stomachs. She couldn't understand why James was the calmest one there. She was starting to think that nothing could shake him. 

"So, everyone's all pumped up for today's game, huh?" asked Lily as she attempted smile.

"Yes!" declared Sirius happily. 

"That's good," said Reggie Baker as he took a seat next to Lily. James' calm look faltered for a moment, but no one else noticed.

"I hope everyone is ready," said Dr. Pomfrey when he showed up with a smile.

"Bonjour Oncle Pierre," said Reggie in a perfect French accent. He was half English and half French. He had spent many summers in France, and his mother was insistent on him learning her native tongue.

"C'est docteur, quand nous sommes à l'école!" corrected Dr. Pomfrey.

"What are you saying?" asked Frank.

"He's telling him to call him doctor when they're in school," translated James. 

"You can speak French?" asked Lily with an impressed look.

James gave her a look of surprise at her amazement. Part of him was insulted, but he knew that her awe was genuine. So, he nodded and looked away. 

"Allez-vous au jeu?" asked Reggie.

"Oui," replied Dr. Pomfrey.

"English! Please speak English!" wailed Peter in an annoyed tone.

"I think it's such a beautiful language," said Lindsay Carlson as she gave a meaningful look towards Reggie.

"He only asked if he was going to the game. And he said yes," translated James with a sigh.

"I understood the yes part, James," said Peter.

"Vous semblez avoir pris tout à fait un intérêt pour les jeux," said Remus, also in perfect French. He had remarked on the doctor's sudden interest in the games.

"Je me demande pourquoi," said James, knowing that Dr. Pomfrey knew about Lily's secret. James had said "I wonder why" in French.

"Aw...say it in English!" complained Peter again.

Lily wasn't paying any attention at all. She was so worried about the game. She noticed that Lindsay Carlson was looking at her. In fact, she was glaring at her. Lily tried to figure out why and realized that Reggie was sitting next to her.

Everyone finished breakfast and made their way to the field, but Lily decided to stop and chat with Lindsay on the way. "Um...about breakfast. I didn't ask him to sit next to me," said Lily.

Lindsay flipped her hair. "Look, I don't care. Reggie can sit with whomever he wants, but I'll tell you one thing: I'm not going to lose to a boy," she told her.

"Just so you know, I don't have any interest in Reggie. I'm already interested in someone else," said Lily, trying to assure her.

Lindsay stared at her for a moment as if to judge whether or not she was telling the truth. "Really?" asked Lindsay. "Who?"

"I'd rather not say," said Lily quickly.

Lindsay smiled because she had a good guess. "Well, then here's something for you to give to them. It's a good luck charm. Today is his big game after all," said Lindsay with a wink as she handed Lily a little good luck charm.

Lily, being Muggle born, had never seen anything like it. "So, this is a wizarding good luck charm? I thought that wizards didn't rely on things like this," said Lily.

"But every little bit helps," said Lindsay as she winked and ran off with her friends.

Lily shook her head. At least, Lindsay was trying to be her friend. She went ahead to see if her brother had made it or not, but she ended up running into James.

"I was wondering where you went," he said to her.

"I was talking with Lindsay," said Lily.

"Oh," said James.

"Oh, here's something. It's supposed to bring you good luck," said Lily as she handed James the charm.

James looked at it, but his expression didn't change. "Actually, this charm is for marriage."

Lily's cheeks turned red in a split second. "What? But, Lindsay said--urgh!" exclaimed Lily as she stomped her foot.

"I'll take it," said James, stunning her into utter silence, and he smiled at her. "It's better than nothing. See you after the game." With a swoosh of his robes, he was gone. 

Lily's mouth had dropped open as she watched him leave. 

Meanwhile, Eric was getting ready to watch the game. He was sitting in Gryffindor's side. Remus and Peter saw him. "You're Lucas' brother, aren't you?" asked Remus.

"How do you know that?" asked Eric.

"You have the same eyes," replied Remus. "And I saw a picture of you that he had. You two must be close."

"Yes. By the way, how do you know James Potter?" asked Eric, attempting to sound casual.

"I've known him ever since I started at Hogwarts. It's been five years," replied Remus.

"What kind of person is he?" asked Eric.

"I don't think I should answer that. Any answer I give you wouldn't really do him justice. He has done more for me than any of my friends. We trust each other," replied Remus.

"He's a good guy," said Peter.

"Hmm," mumbled Eric as he waited for the game to start.

Lily never took her seat. She was too nervous to watch the game. She could only hear the commentary. She could feel her future riding on the game. It also seemed that nature was against her. It started to drizzle at the start of the game. Soon it had turned into heavy rain. Lily sighed. 

James maneuvered on his broomstick gracefully, only seeking the Golden Snitch. He had to find it before the Ravenclaw seeker did. He wasn't paying much attention to everything else around him.

Sirius was successfully sinking in shot after shot at the Ravenclaws' goal. He was in rare form because he had missed playing chaser, so he was playing very well. 

The Ravenclaws proved to be in better form than the Slytherins were in the last game. They were scoring shots for each one the Gryffindors did. The beaters on both sides were causing the Bludgers to bounce everywhere, even James had a few close calls.

"Watch it!" he shouted because he had to concentrate on looking for the Golden Snitch. 

The game was close through out. However, the Ravenclaws had gotten more points. It was taking more than four hours for James and the Ravenclaw seeker to find the snitch.

"Damn it!" cursed Sirius, when one of the Ravenclaw chasers had taken a penalty shot. It seemed that fate was not on Gryffindor's side. The gap in the score was increasing. As more time went on, the more the gap increased. Ravenclaw had gained more and more ground.

"This is very dismal. I'm sad to say that Gryffindor is down by 150 points. This is the worst I've ever seen it," said the student commentator.

James wasn't paying attention to that. He was getting warmer and warmer, despite the rain that was pounding his shoulders. He looked around again. The rain was coating his glasses, but he didn't want to stop and put a spell on them. Every moment counted. 

Then, he saw it. It stood out like a glimmer of light in the rain. A golden light. James didn't pay attention to the score at this point. It didn't matter to him. He had to prove to himself that he was capable of being a seeker. It was something he had to prove to himself. 

James didn't know how, but he gathered all his will to make his broomstick go faster. The Ravenclaw seeker saw him move and followed him. She had seen the snitch as well. James was faster. In less than a moment, he had the snitch in his hands.

"It's over! James Potter caught the Golden Snitch!" shouted the commentator. "However, Gryffindor loses by only ten points. 310 to 300. What a spectacular game!"

James happily holding the snitch in his hand. Sirius didn't look too happy. He glared at James. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" asked James.

"You caught the snitch too soon," replied Sirius angrily. "You should have held out longer."

"The rain hasn't let up. It was a losing battle. We'll live to fight another day," said James.

Lily was too happy to do anything, but she decided to go and talk with her brother. _I should just apologize. He was only looking out for me._

"But, why James?" pressed Sirius.

Lily couldn't find her brother, but James had spotted her. He smiled, ignoring Sirius' rants. "Where's my brother?" asked Lily.

"He left right after James caught the snitch, but he left this note," said Remus as he handed her a piece of yellow lined paper that was folded in half.

"Thanks," said Lily as she unfolded. Tears came to her eyes as she read it.

_Take care of yourself. Do try to come home for the holidays. Love, Eric._

"James, we lost," said one of the Gryffindor beaters. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because I won," replied James happily. He caught something more important than the snitch. And he wasn't going to let her go that easily.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Eric is not a character from the canon. In Hanakimi, the main character's brother does show up. I figure that Petunia would never been as cool. So, he's my own original character. Probably, he'd be dead by Harry's time. Eric does have some magic. I'd say very little Frank doesn't notice anything, why? Well, he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Also, for any questions about Muggles not being able to go to Hogwarts, please read the pre-author's notes. Not that I'm not having any fun answering your little questions that are seeking holes in my story. It's the plotline that I am more concerned about. 

By the way, the French you see is taken as translations from Babel Fish. If there are any errors, please tell me. I must apologize for the delays. I was being lazy. Very bad. ^_^;; I hope it was worth the wait. I love Dr. Pomfrey to pieces. ^_^ Expect to see more of him along with more of the Pomfrey family. ^_~

Give me twenty reviews...please? I am sorry for the delay. ^_^;;

Go to for any questions and extra comments. ^^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	8. The Pomfrey Chalet

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 08: The Pomfrey Chalet

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

Winter exams were upon the students of Hogwarts before they could even realize it. The students spent long hours at the library to the point where they could barely keep their eyes open. There also came a strike of influenza because the stress made the students more vulnerable to illness. Needless to say, Dr. Pomfrey was very busy.

The Marauders, save Peter, were the only ones who weren't stressed out. James and Sirius were setting off a series of pranks in order to liven everybody's mood and to ring in the holidays. Lily was stressing over her tests. The only thing that relaxed her was her walks with James and Fang during the evenings. 

Finally, exams began and ended in an instant. However, the results came almost as quickly. "What happened?" wailed so many students. Once again James had the top scores in Transfiguration, while Sirius ruled in Care of Magical Creatures. Lily got the highest score in Charms. Remus got the highest score in Astronomy. Even Peter managed to scrape by. 

"Why are the tests so hard this year?" whined Peter.

"Because the OWLs are this year," replied Remus. "They're just getting us ready for it."

"McGonagall really got to you, didn't she?" asked Sirius.

Peter gave a nod. He was truly pitiful. However, nothing could have been worse than the news that was waiting them when they had returned to their dorms.

"What?" asked Lily out loud as she read the notice. "I don't believe it."

"What's going on, Lucas?" asked Frank.

"It says that they're going to be doing some work on the tower for this break. Why? Why didn't they do it during the summer?" asked Lily out loud.

"Don't know, but that means we'll have to go home during the break," said Frank.

"Home?" squeaked Lily. _I can't go home. Not after all the things I had to do to stay here. What will I do?_ She thought in a panic.

"Oh well, that means that you'll have to go home to Australia, James," said Sirius.

"No," said James without any expression.

"Why Australia?" asked Lily.

"His father is the British Ministry of Magic's representative to Australia," answered Remus.

"I didn't know that," said Lily. 

"I'll just stay with my grandparents in London," said James. "What about you, Lucas?"

"I don't know," said Lily. She didn't really want to stay with her father and Petunia. She didn't like spending any time with Petunia because she always thought that she was more proper than everyone else, especially Lily. Furthermore, Lily couldn't do any of her magic at home, leaving her vulnerable to Petunia's attacks when their father wasn't paying attention. 

"You can always go with me," said Frank. "My mother wouldn't mind having any extra company." _Yes...we'll live together. It will be fantastic._

"I don't know," said Lily. "Excuse me for a moment."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sirius as he looked at James.

"I have no idea," replied James. _But, I'm going to find out._

Lily made her way to the infirmary to find Dr. Pomfrey looking over some paperwork. "What now?" he asked without looking up. He was just so tired of hearing all the whining the students were doing over just a few exams. 

"I need a place to stay during the break. Dr. Pomfrey, please help me," said Lily as she folded her hands in front of her.

Dr. Pomfrey looked up at her. "I'm going on holiday in San Tropes," said Dr. Pomfrey. "I can't help you."

"Please? I'll do anything. I'll wash. I'll clean. I'll do carpentry. Please?" pleaded Lily.

"Sorry," said Dr. Pomfrey as he shook his head. 

"But--"

"Brother!" shouted a young girl as she walked in. She was a pretty, young woman who had straight brown hair and bluish-green eyes. She had a Ravenclaw badge on her cloak as she glared at Dr. Pomfrey. He sort of shrunk back when he saw her.

Lily stood there with a puzzled look on her face. "You can't hide, you idiot," said the girl with a slight French accent that wasn't as strong as Dr. Pomfrey's.

"Did you find him yet?" asked Reggie as he walked in. 

"What's going on?" asked Lily.

"You can't hide! She's expecting you in the chalet. It's only going to be two weeks," said the girl as she glared at Dr. Pomfrey. She took two long steps forward and grabbed Dr. Pomfrey by the collar of his medical wizarding robes. 

"You have to go, Uncle Pierre. If you don't, then I have to," said Reggie.

"Besides it was a direct order from her," said girl.

"I have to get out of here!" exclaimed Dr. Pomfrey. It was the first time Lily had ever seen him in a panic. "I must flee before the evil one appears."

"Oh no, you don't!" exclaimed the girl angrily. "Last year I had to help out. This year is your turn."

"Could someone tell me what's going on?" asked Lily.

"Oh, Lucas, you're here. I didn't notice," said Reggie. "You see our family has a chalet that is only open for business briefly each season of the year. It's a bed and breakfast. My mother is the one who runs it." 

"There's no way I am going to go over there! Not again. Let go, Renee!" exclaimed Dr. Pomfrey.

"No, Brother," said Renee.

"So, you're Dr. Pomfrey's sister? I forgot that you were in Ravenclaw," said Lily thoughtfully. 

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Renee Pomfrey," said Renee with a more formal introduction as she smiled at Lily.

"Yes, Auntie Renee," said Reggie as he patted Renee on the head.

"I'm two years younger than you! Stop that," said Renee as she swatted his hand away. 

"I see," said Lily. _What a strange family..._

"Pierre!" rang a voice that made Dr. Pomfrey cringe. He looked desperately at the nearest window. Reggie knew what he was thinking, so he grabbed his uncle's arm.

"He's here, Mother!" shouted Reggie.

Lily watched a very attractive woman walk into the infirmary. She was wearing the latest in wizarding fashions. She looked very elegant indeed. However, her attire didn't remotely match the scowl on her face. She stalked up to Dr. Pomfrey with her wand drawn. She pointed it straight at Dr. Pomfrey's Adam's apple.

Lily took an involuntary step backwards away from the scary woman. "You thought that you could escape, didn't you, Pierre?" asked the woman coldly in English with a heavier accent than Dr. Pomfrey's. 

"Isabelle, what a surprise. You're looking as lovely as ever," complimented Dr. Pomfrey nervously.

"You're pathetic. Why am I cursed with such a pathetic younger brother?!" exclaimed Isabelle as she looking at ceiling as if requesting help from the heavens. "You know that you're supposed to help me out this year. Father's still not completely well. Mother cannot leave him."

"Wait a moment!" exclaimed Dr. Pomfrey as if divine inspiration had come to him. He looked at Lily. "This person is the answer to your prayers! He has no where to go for the vacation. He's willing to work hard for you. Aren't you, Lucas?"

Lily gave an automatic nod, wondering if she was going to regret it. Isabelle released Dr. Pomfrey from her grip and he sank to the floor. She looked at Lily and leaned in close. "You're very cute. You'll do. Yes, you'll do nicely," said Isabelle after a moment.

Lily sweated under Isabelle's scrutiny. She didn't like her smile either. She looked at the others for help, but found that Dr. Pomfrey had already disappeared. "He's gone," said Renee. 

"Damn him," swore Isabelle. "But, don't worry, Lucas. What's your full name?"

"Lucas Evans."

"Don't worry, Lucas. I wouldn't overwork an innocent person like you. You don't deserve my wrath. All you have to do is clean up after the guests, help me serve the food, and take care of other household chores," Isabelle informed Lily.

Lily gave a nod. "Good, I'll pick you up early in the morning with the carriage. Let's go Renee. Reginald." 

Lily let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were gone. She was now really worried. She wanted to look for Dr. Pomfrey, but couldn't find him. She decided it was time to return to the room. She walked back in a hurry and found James sitting on his bed. "So?" he asked.

"Um...I worked it out myself. I'm going to help the Pomfreys out at their chalet. It's only open during the holidays anyway," said Lily with a smile. "Plus I'll get some work experience."

"Really? Maybe, I could go with you. I don't have any work experience," said James thoughtfully. He really didn't need to work. His family was very wealth by any standards, but he didn't really want to spend the holidays away from her.

"I don't know if Isabelle needs anyone else. But since she's having trouble even getting her family to help out, she probably could use some help."

"I'll go with you," decided James. His tone was final, leaving no room for argument. Lily didn't want to argue. All she could do was smile.

*

"So, you're actually going to work? You? James Potter?" asked Sirius with disbelief during dinner.

"What's so amazing about me going to work?" retorted James with some annoyance.

"Have you actually ever worked before, James?" asked Remus.

"No, but how hard could it be?" asked James with a shrug.

Everyone else gave a nervous laugh, even Lily. She wondered just how well off James was. All of her friends back home worked after school or during the holidays to make extra money. 

"I think I'll come along, too," spoke up Frank.

"Are you sure? Didn't you say that your mother was expecting you?" asked Lily.

"It's all right, Lucas. My mum won't mind. She's busy with the Aurors," replied Frank. "She's barely around during the holidays. It seems like the Death Eaters are drawn out because of the holiday spirit."

"Then, that's great. I was worried that I wasn't going to get to see my friends during the holidays since I wasn't going home either," said Lily, admitting her relief. She smiled at Frank. He blushed.

"Well, just because you guys are willing to waste your holidays, doesn't mean the rest of us will do that. I'm going home and enjoying myself. You guys want to come over?" said Sirius. The last question was directed to Remus and Peter. 

"Are you sure?" asked Remus cryptically. 

"Sure, why not? Besides, we don't need, James," Sirius assured him.

"Are you sure?" echoed Peter nervously.

"You'll all be fine," assured James. Lily wondered what they were talking about. Sirius, Remus, and Peter wondered why James wanted to go and work during the holidays. It didn't make much sense. Potters didn't do manual labor unless they were forced to. The rest of the Marauders didn't want to see the results of someone unwisely bossing around James Potter.

*

The next morning, Lily, James, and Frank waited for the Isabelle to pick them up. The carriage was a very fine one, which showed the wealth that Isabelle's husband had. She emerged from the carriage. Once again she was dressed in a wonderful set of robes. She swept up to Lily and the boys.

"Good morning, Lucas. And who is this?" asked Isabelle.

"This is James Potter and Frank Longbottom. They're interested in working in the chalet, too," replied Lily, hoping that Isabelle would take them along. Isabelle walked up to them and did the same look over she had given Lily earlier. She nodded her head with approval. _They look strong. I could torture them._ She thought happily. 

"You can come along. Let's go," agreed Isabelle. The boys gave each other a nervous look, wondering why she was grinning so gleefully. They all piled into the carriage. It was a wonderful trip. Lily now knew why Isabelle didn't mind not traveling by the usual wizards' way of either by apparating, which could not be done on Hogwarts' grounds anyway, or by Floo Powder. 

The scenery was beautiful with the snow coating everything. It was truly a winter wonderland. Lily was in completely awe. James sat next to her, while Frank and Isabelle sat next to each other. "Thank you very much for helping me out. I would have demanded that my son be brought along, but my husband didn't want me to," explained Isabelle.

_I think her husband saved Reggie from the fate that awaits us _thought Lily ruefully as she continued to look outside the carriage window.

"You've never really been on holiday with wizards have you, Lucas?" asked James.

"Nope. All the members of my family are Muggles," replied Lily.

"Must be strange to be the only wizard in the family," said Frank. "But, at least you're different. I'm probably going to be an Auror like my parents."

"What about you, James?" asked Lily.

"I don't know. For right now, all I want to do is play Quidditch," admitted James. 

"You seem like good boys. You'll enjoy your time at the chalet. Don't worry, you'll get some days off, too," said Isabelle.

"Thanks," said Lily as she smiled.

The carriage came to a stop after a short while. They all got out. Lily and Frank were very impressed with the chalet. James didn't look impressed at all. He wasn't. His family had a lot of property around the world, so he wasn't that surprised that the chalet was so big. 

"Wow! It's amazing," said Lily as she looked around.

There were two people on the balcony on the second floor. The boy was talking to a girl. She was blushing at him as she pulled in close at her. "Byron! What do you think you're doing?" demanded Isabelle.

The girl turned bright red as she immediately left the balcony. "Come down here! Now!" ordered Isabelle further. The boy, Byron, followed the blushing girl. Isabelle impatiently waited for them to arrive. The boy and girl looked to be around the age of the Hogwarts students.

"This is Byron and this is Christina, from Beauxbatons," said Isabelle. "They are Lucas Evans, James Potter, and Frank Longbottom. They are from Hogwarts."

"Welcome," said Christina as she shyly smiled at Lily, James, and Frank. She was obviously embarrassed by the position they had seen her in when they had arrived. 

"I'll carry the bags in," volunteered Byron. He had a British accent, while Christina had a French accent. That wasn't something Lily had expected considering the school he attended.

"I'll help you," said Lily happily. James' eyes followed them as they went back to the carriage.

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room. The rest are reserved for the guests. Lucas and James, you'll be sharing a room. Because you're already roommates, I'm sure that you wouldn't mind," said Isabelle. "And Frank, you'll be sharing a room with Byron."

Frank frowned at that last part. Why did James get all the advantages when it came to Lucas? It wasn't fair. Suddenly, Frank quickly reprimanded himself because Lucas was a boy and he shouldn't be thinking that way. He quickly turned his head.

Byron had remained quiet as he and Lily grabbed the trunks. He was studying her. _She's cute. Her haircut makes her look like a pixie. Very cute_, he silently acknowledged as she met his eye.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

_And she's trying to sound like a boy. But, she's trying too hard._ Byron gave her a grin, and said, "You're pretty cute. But, why are you pretending you're a boy?"

Lily's face turned ten shades of red before she blabbed back, "Because I am a boy! I am a boy!"

Byron laughed at her distress, but she was now scowling at him. "Okay, okay. Whatever."

James watched them carefully. He didn't like the way that Byron was talking to her. He didn't like it one bit. "I'll take care of it, Lucas. Just go inside," he finally said. 

"Huh?" asked Lily as she broke her angry glare away from Byron. James was already up to them and took her end of the trunk. 

"Go inside," said James with a slight smile. "It's okay."

"Okay," nodded Lily as she went inside.

Byron waited until she was inside before saying to James, "She's pretty cute."

James looked at him with a surprised look, but said nothing.

"So, you're her roommate, aren't you?" asked Byron.

"Stop call him 'her,'" corrected James. It was better that the creep thought that Lily was an effeminate boy than a real girl.

"Really? So, you're playing along, too?" asked Byron. James didn't give a response. He merely made them move the trunk faster. For the rest of the time, James didn't talk to Byron. As soon as everything was moved in, Byron went back outside to put the carriage back in the stables by himself. 

A plan was formulating in his head as he smiled. He always liked a challenge. _She's the one this year. I'll make sure of that _thought Byron. 

* * *

Post Author's Note: Here we learn a little more about James. Sorry for such a short chapter. I am very busy with school. I'm headed for my week of finals. ^_^;; Anyway, what's Byron up to? What will he do? Can Lily sense the danger she's in? Let me say this right now: Byron's a player. And he's got his sights set on Lily, but James is already in alert. What will happen next?

Okay, I want to reach two hundred reviews. Pretty please? ^_~ Make me feel better during the upcoming weeks...I may contemplate throwing myself off a building after finals. It depends. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	9. Adventures in Babysitting

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 09: Adventures in Babysitting

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

Lily opened the curtain to let the sunshine in. The sun was reflecting off the the newly fallen snow, creating a blinding light that blasted James' eyes open. He woke up and shook his head groggily. It took a moment before he could remember where he was.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"It's seven," replied Lily.

"It's too early," mumbled James before falling back on his pillow.

"You wake at the same time every morning at Hogwarts," said Lily.

James pulled the sheets over his head. "It's a holiday. This is the earliest I've ever been awake on a holiday," he said.

"No, it's not. We're here to work. Wake up, Sleepy Head," said Lily as she went over to his bed and pulled the sheets off him, exposing him to the offending brightness of the sun. He wasn't fully awake enough to be aware of the implications of his next actions. He took Lily by the arms and pulled her towards him, but Lily kept her feet planted on the floor. Despite her efforts, James' strength overwhelmed her. 

"Go back to sleep," he mumbled sleepily as he held on to her. 

"James! What the Hell are you doing?!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, completely waking him up. James bolted upright and released her. Once again, she had her arms folded across her chest. Her face was bright red as she glared at him. 

"What's going on in there?" called Frank from behind the door. "Lucas? Are you all right?"

"He's fine. He's just trying to wake me up," said James calmly, quickly making up an excuse. "Sorry about that," he told her in a more quiet voice. 

"Don't do that again," said Lily. _I wonder if he noticed anything. What am I thinking? Even with the vest, I don't have much to notice _she thought to herself.

"Um...why don't you go and take a shower first," said James, making up any excuse for one of them to leave. She nodded, grabbed her things, and went into the bathroom. _I wonder if she noticed that I could feel something there. _

It was a good thing that neither noticed how much the other one was blushing.

*

As soon as breakfast was over, everyone was given a set amount of chores to do. Frank and James were directed outside to shovel snow off the gazebo outside. Lily and Byron were put to work on setting up the Christmas decorations. Christina was in the kitchen helping the chef, while Isabelle was doing her inspection of the rooms, making sure that everything was clean.

"Here let me show you something," said Byron as he smiled at Lily.

"What?"

He folded a square piece of paper into a crane. "Wow, that's a amazing. And you folded it so fast," said Lily.

"I think that these would make great Christmas decorations," said Byron. "Why don't we fold up different kinds? We can even string up some together."

"Maybe, we could write something inside some of them," suggested Lily. "But, I don't really know how."

"Origami is easy. Let me show you," said Byron.

"Okay," agreed Lily.

The boys outside were busy, but not busy enough not to notice what was going on inside. "What the Hell does that guy think he's doing with Lucas?" asked Frank out loud as he watched them through the window. He saw how close they were together, but he couldn't tell what they were doing.

"Hey, Frank! We have to finish this so we can go inside," said James.

"That guy! How dare he try and get close to Lucas?" complained Frank. A snowball promptly hit him on the side of his face. He snapped his attention at James. "What was that for?!"

"Pay attention to your work. The faster we finish this, the sooner we can go inside," said James. "Now shovel."

Frank glared at James, but he started shoveling again. _I don't like what that guy's up to_ thought James. _I should probably warn her. But, if Frank is noticing it, then she's got to notice it, too._ He stopped to look inside the window. He could see Lily laughing at something that Byron said. James gritted his teeth and gripped the handle of his shovel. He started to shovel faster, so he could get back inside sooner.

It took another half hour before James and Frank were back inside. Lily and Byron were just about done, stringing some paper cranes together. It looked wonderful because they alternated colors of red, green, and white. Lily smiled as the boys came in. "Look what Byron taught me," said Lily as she showed James a paper crane.

James didn't know what to say. "You can have it. It's an extra," she told him.

"What about me?" asked Frank.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was the last crane. Here, you can have this little monkey that I folded for practice," said Lily as she handed it to Frank. His cheeks turned bright red.

"Boys, are you done with the work outside?" asked Isabelle. Frank and James nodded. "Then, I need you in the kitchen. The potatoes need to be peeled."

"Potatoes? I can't do anything in the kitchen without magic," said Frank. Typically, the students of Hogwarts were allowed to use their magic during the holidays, but only on Hogwarts grounds. Most of the wizarding schools had the same rule. 

"You'll do fine. If you cut yourself, there's a potion to heal you," said Isabelle. "Come along." She walked off and snapped her fingers, expecting the boys to follow her. Frank grumbled as he looked at James. James shrugged and walked off towards the kitchen, forcing Frank to come along. However, neither boy was all right with leaving Lily alone with Byron.

As they set to work, Frank decided he couldn't take it anymore. "Aren't you a little worried about Lucas?" asked Frank.

"He can handle himself," responded James.

"But--that guy!" shouted Frank.

"Frank, you're peeling the potatoes wrong," said James calmly. He was referring to the fact that Frank took most of the peel with the potato. Frank looked down and exclaimed, "This is hard! I want to use magic!"

"You said that you helped out at home," said James.

"Yea, but not stuff like this. We can't all have servants and house elves to do this kind of work, James," said Frank.

"My family doesn't have house elves. They left when my grandfather offered to pay them. They were insulted," said James, thinking about his quirky, late grandfather.

"Pay them?" asked Frank.

"What's going on in here? Why aren't you peeling, Frank? You call this peeling?" asked Isabelle as she snuck up on them.

"Ah!" exclaimed Frank in surprise. 

"Never mind. It's fairly obvious you're useless in the kitchen. Why don't you just go and change the bed sheets?" suggested Isabelle.

"That I can do," agreed Frank as he left the kitchen in a hurry. He spotted Byron and Lily talking. "What are you to up to?" he asked.

"I was just telling Lucas about last year," explained Byron mildly.

"Yeah, well, Lucas would you mind helping me change some of the beddings?" asked Frank. He could make beds with the best of them. His mother had drilled the importance of hospital corners to him. However, he was willing to play dumb if it meant getting Lily way from Byron.

"Sure, I'll help you," agreed Lily as she left Byron, scowling after them.

*

The next morning, James was up before Lily. He watched her sleeping for a good ten minutes before getting ready for the day. The first wave of guests were arriving that day, so they had to get an earlier start than the day before. James had to come up with a plan. It seemed as if Byron was stopped by Frank. James didn't want to leave it up to Frank. 

Lily woke up while he was in the bathroom. She sat up slowly and stretched out. She wondered what was going on that day. She knew that the guests were coming and wondered what they were like. She was looking forward to meeting more people. Just then, the bathroom door opened.

"Good morning," said Lily.

"Morning," said James. "Lucas, there's something I wanted to tell you about."

"What?" asked Lily as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"It's about Byron."

"What about Byron?"

"You shouldn't get too comfortable with him," said James quietly. "I mean we're not going to be here for that long, and it's a waste of time."

"It's not a waste of time trying to be nice to other people. He's a nice guy."

James pursed his lips. He didn't really want to explain it because he knew it was going to backfire. The point of this conversation was to warn her ahead of time before she got too comfortable and left herself vulnerable to Byron's advances. However, James didn't want to appear jealous either. Was he jealous? He wasn't sure.

"Look, just be careful, okay? I can't always be there just to watch over you," he told her with a sigh.

Lily glared at him. "I am not asking you to watch over me. I can take care of myself," she said as she stood up. "You can go ahead without me."

James stood there, mildly stunned. He tried to figure out what he had done wrong. By the time his brain was working again, Lily had already gathered her things and was on her way to the bathroom. "Wait--"

He was cut off by door slamming. All he could do was sigh. _Fine, if she won't listen to me, then I won't do anything about it. She can find out by herself_. He stalked off for breakfast.

Around ten o' clock, the first guest arrived. The first people came from Sweden and were very pleasant. It wasn't until noon that James, Lily, and Frank received a shock. Frank was the first one to notice. He was coming down the stairs from one of the master suites. He had been sent there by Isabelle to prepare it. He recognized the platinum blond boy immediately.

"What the Hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" demanded Frank. 

"What do you think I'm here for, Longbottom?" asked Lucius in his usual drawl. Next to him was a young teenage girl with long platinum blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes as well as a little toddler with the same coloring. His sisters. 

"You mean you're here for the holidays?! So, it was your suite I was preparing!" exclaimed Frank in a high pitched voice. SMACK! Isabelle walked in and smacked him upside the head. 

"Do not be rude to the guests, Frank," she chided as she smiled at Lucius. He looked like he had gotten weak at the knees. Isabelle really knew how to dazzle her guests, and Lucius was always a sucker for a beautiful older woman.

"What are you doing here?" came another voice. James walked in with Lily. They were once again on speaking terms. Because Lily felt guilty about getting snappy at James that morning, and she made up for it by spending most of the morning with him.

"Oh. My. God. Are you James Potter?!" asked the teenage sister of Lucius Malfoy. "My name is Tara Malfoy. I am a huge fan of yours. I heard that you can fly circles around my brother." She was also shaking James' hand vigorously. He was standing there with a mildly surprised look on his face. 

Oddly enough, he was rescued by Malfoy who grabbed his sister by the arm. "You said you wanted to go skiing right? Let's go!" declared Malfoy, thoroughly annoyed with his sister. He couldn't stand the fact that his own sister had a crush on his worst enemy. _I have to drag her away from the gay bastard._

Frank and Lily didn't know whether to laugh. James had a strange bewildered look on his face. He was wondering why Malfoy's parents would continue breeding after him. "Ah!" exclaimed Frank suddenly. "Get it away from me!" 

It seemed that Malfoy had forgotten his kid sister. She was standing next to Frank, looking at his shoes. It just so happened that Frank had the same kind of shoes as her older brother. "It's the midget Malfoy!" exclaimed Frank.

"Stop that," said Lily as she laughed. She crouched to the level of youngest Malfoy. "Hello, what's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Catherine," said the little girl. 

"Ah," said Frank as he stooped down to her level, figuring it was safe. 

"How old are you?" asked Lily.

"I'm three," said Catherine, sticking two of her fingers into Frank's nose. He pulled back immediately. "I'm going to kill the little brat!" he declared as James held him back. 

"Um...I think I'll return her to her family," said Lily as she picked up Catherine. "Keep a hold on him, James." She carried Catherine to reunite her with her siblings. 

Lily stopped at the door and put Catherine down to knock. The door was slightly opened, so she pushed forward with Catherine mimicking her actions. "Oops! I'm sorry!" exclaimed Lily as she quickly slammed the door closed.

"Wait, it's okay," said Tara as she opened the door. "It's no big deal. It's a sports bra." Lily had accidentally opened the door while Tara was changing. 

"Oh," said Lily with her face flaming red. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," insisted Tara. "By the way, I was wondering if you would help me with something."

"Um...I'm here to help all the guests," said Lily reluctantly.

"Great! My brother is such a bore and he's no help at all. You know James Potter, right?" asked Tara excitedly with her eyes shining, causing Lily to take an involuntary step backward.

"Yes--" started Lily.

"Great, then you can help me. I think it would be helpful to have a boy's opinion on this," said Tara.

"I want to go out in the snow," said Catherine. 

"I don't think I can help you," said Lily. "Excuse me, but I have other things to attend to."

Tara pouted cutely at her. Lily could swear that the girl was flirting with her, which only made her want to escape faster. "What Hell is going on in here?!" demanded Lucius as he stormed into the room. He spotted Lily and smiled slightly. "Shouldn't you be working, Evans? You're not supposed to linger in the guests' rooms."

"I was just leaving," said Lily, actually grateful for Malfoy's interference.

"Are you ready yet?" demanded Lucius as Lily made her quick exit.

"You never let me do anything!" exclaimed Tara. It was enough to make Lily run out of there.

*

Over the next few days, the Malfoys proved to be not only demanding guests, but obnoxious ones as well. Lucius Malfoy proved to be very annoying and kept getting Frank to do stuff for him. Oddly, enough he was leaving James alone, but only because Tara wasn't. The only Malfoy that was tolerable was Catherine, who was called Kitty for short. 

It turned out that the reservation that Malfoys had was for their entire family, but their parents had backed out at the last minute, leaving Lucius in charge of his sisters. On top of that, Lily and James were being constantly separated from each other because of work, Byron, and Tara.

One breakfast, Lily and Byron were setting up the table, when she noticed that James was outside shoving snow. Tara bounded up to him and kept putting her arms around him. _She's so annoying. What's wrong with her? Can't she take a hint that he doesn't like her? She's so stupid_ thought Lily.

"What's wrong?" asked Byron with some concern.

"Nothing," replied Lily. He looked out the window and back at her.

"I see," said Byron. "Don't worry too much about it. It's just a harmless crush."

Lily didn't say anything as she kept herself busy. Byron smiled and was secretly grateful to Tara for distracting James. 

"Get away from me!" ordered James. "I'm trying to work here!"

"Oh, come on. Let's go for a wintertime stroll," suggested Tara.

"I don't have time to deal with you!"

Lily couldn't take it anymore and left Byron to take care of setting. She took off her apron and wanted to go back to the room for a bit, but she ran into Lucius Malfoy instead. He was carrying Kitty in his arms. "Oh, there you are Evans. I was just looking for you," he said.

"What for?!" demanded Lily. She didn't have the patience to deal with another Malfoy.

"Hey, don't get mad at me just because my sister is nuts," said Lucius. He knew what was wrong. "Besides, I expected more from you."

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously, expecting him to insult her.

"What I mean is: where's that spunky kid who stood up to me earlier? I know that Tara's like a force of nature, but that you can't handle her. Where's your spine?" asked Malfoy.

Lily couldn't believe it. Lucius Malfoy was actually giving her advice. Helpful advice. She stared at him with her mouth open, wondering why he was helping her at all. "Anyway, I need you to watch the brat for a while," he went on.

"What?!" Lily wanted to smack herself for letting Malfoy lull her into a false sense of security. 

"Evans, you have to do what the guests request. Besides, Kitty likes you. You look enough like a girl to be a babysitter anyway."

"You bas--" Lily stopped herself because she knew that Kitty liked copying people. She didn't want the little girl swearing. "I am not a girl!" she insisted. "And why do you need a babysitter? That's your job!"

"Not really. I'm just responsible for her, but that doesn't mean I can't leave her with a sitter, Evans," said Malfoy.

"Why are you willing to trust a Gryffindor with your sister?" asked Lily suspiciously.

"There's this cute girl that I met at the ski lodge nearby. Got to run. I don't want to be late for my date!" exclaimed Malfoy as he put down Kitty and ran.

"Malfoy!" shouted Lily after him. Kitty walked up to her. She looked down at her and sighed. "Repeat after me."

"Okay."

"My brother is a moron."

"My brother is a moron," repeated Kitty. Lily smiled and starting laughing. Frank walked up to them. 

"What's going on?" asked Frank as he eyed Kitty. He was the only person who didn't like the three-year-old that much. He didn't think she was cute at all.

"Malfoy is making me baby-sit her," explained Lily.

"Really?"

"He's got a date."

"Bastard!" exclaimed Frank with his fist clutched in front of him.

"Bastard!" mimicked Kitty, following his actions.

"Frank!" exclaimed Lily.

*

James was grateful just to get away from Tara Malfoy for a couple of minutes. He was still out on the grounds, but he was sure she was inside, so it was better for him to stay outside for a while. He was clearing some brush with his gloves. He wasn't told to do it, but he would have gladly done it to avoid Tara.

He worked his way to the backyard and heard the people talking. It was a bunch of guys from the nearby ski lodge that wizards frequented. He wasn't going to pay any attention until he heard Byron's voice.

"So, what's up with this year?" asked one of the guys.

"Did you find anyone new this year?" asked another one.

"Yep. She's a really cute," answered Byron.

"Really? What's she like?" asked the first guy.

"She's got short red hair and the brightest green eyes," replied Byron.

James' hands clutched into fists. There was only one person who matched that description around there. He decided to go back inside. He had to find her. 

He walked into one of the inner greenhouses that the large Pomfrey Chalet had. He saw Lily and Frank playing with Kitty in a little pool. 

"I can't believe that Isabelle had this," said Frank.

"Yeah. She said that Reggie used to play with it when he was younger," said Lily. "It's a good thing that the greenhouse is warm enough for an indoor pool party in winter, huh Kitty?"

Kitty had splashed half the water out of the pool. So, Frank squirted her with the hose. "Don't do that to her, Frank," said Lily to him.

"Huh?" asked Frank, but Kitty had gained control of the hose and proceed to squirted him. "Ah! Help! Lucas!" Lily laughed at him instead as the water splashed her, too. 

James could see a problem forming, so he took of his jacket and marched over to them. "Lucas, get up!" he ordered, unable to hide the angry in his voice.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily. 

"You're going to get sick!" he exclaimed as he wrapped his jacket around her. "You're getting yourself totally soaked. Go and change your clothes."

"But I--"

"Go and change your clothes," he repeated.

"Fine," said Lily, not wanting to argue with him because of the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Frank, regaining control of the hose from Kitty.

"Nothing," muttered James, hoping that Lily wouldn't run into Byron and his friends before she could change her clothes.

Lily went back to the room, while being very careful at the same time not to drip too much water on the floor. She was going to have to mop up later. She went to the room and proceeded to change her clothes. "Why would he get so mad over water? He didn't yell at Kitty or Frank about getting wet," Lily muttered to herself as she took off her shirt and the vest, going completely topless.

She took off her jeans. "He's right. I'm completely soaked. Even my underwear got wet," said Lily as she started to look for some clean, dry clothes.

"I have some new sheets," said Isabelle as she knocked on the door.

"Wa--"

The door swung open.

* * *

Post Author's Note: And a cliffie. ^_^ The next part will be out later on, but I don't know when. So, sorry about the delays. School. Some of you should read my journal because that's where I tend to give my reasons for updating or not updating. As always questions are answered there. A lot of crazy stuff happened here. No, Lucius doesn't have any sisters according to the original story, but I added them in because of the manga. Yes, Kitty is very impressionable, but Malfoy deserves it doesn't he? Something from the manga are going out of order for those of you who cheated and read ahead. 

I might take a few days off to rest up after finals. Thanks for reviewing. I'm not going to tell anyone my limit now. Just review. ^_^ Please go to my journal to lodge any complaint you may have about the delays, remyelf.livejournal.com 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	10. Showing True Colors

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 10: Showing True Colors

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

"Wa--" started Lily, but it was too late. Isabelle opened the door. The only thing Lily could do was cover her expose chest. 

"What's going on in here? Oh my goodness," whispered Isabelle as she started at Lily. "I thought that--wait." She closed the door behind her. "Dress up. I can't talk to you like that."

Lily nodded as she quickly changed clothes. Her face was bright red. _I'm done for. She's the mother of the head boy. She's probably going to report me to Dumbledore. _Lily's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away before facing Isabelle again. "I'm done," she announced.

"You're a girl, Lucas. No wait. What's your name?" asked Isabelle with a sigh.

"My name is Lily. Please don't tell anyone. Please. I'm begging you," whispered Lily. She hoped that Dr. Pomfrey's kindness ran in the family.

"That depends. Tell me everything," said Isabelle with a sigh as she sat down on James' bed. She gestured for Lily to take a seat on her bed. Lily sighed and explained everything. She explained how she wanted to meet James Potter and explained everything that had happened.

"I see," said Isabelle at the end. She sighed. "You came all the way to Hogwarts just to meet James Potter. On top of that you're posing as a boy. And no one has caught you yet."

"Actually, Dr. Pomfrey knows. He's tolerated it. And I hide my chest under a denim vest," said Lily.

"I see. You can't keep it up forever, Lily. I mean Lucas," said Isabelle. "For one thing, you're still growing. I don't think you should keep wearing something like that. It's too tight. It will restrict your breathing."

As good as it was to hear that she wasn't going to be flat-chested forever, Lily was still hoping to keep her gender a secret. It was the hard part about lying. It was hard to stop, especially since people thought she was an honest person. She could only imagine the looks on their faces if they ever found out the truth. She couldn't find a way to stop. 

"Are you going to tell anyone?" asked Lily as she bit her lip nervously.

"As a woman, I can understand how you feel. However, as a parent, I am concerned for you. You must be careful, Lucas," said Isabelle as she smiled at her fondly. "I can see some of myself in you. You are too stubborn to quit. If you need my help just ask."

"Really?" asked Lily.

"Really," said Isabelle with a nod. "Just know what you're doing isn't completely right. You'll have to tell the truth sooner or later. Just change and get back to work" With that she left the room.

Lily didn't waste any time. Her vest was wet, so she had no choice but to go hunting for some bandages. She had them just in case. She didn't want to resort to using them, but she had no choice. She grabbed them and went to the bathroom. She was now extra self conscious, so she bound her breasts tighter. 

*

James and Frank were stuck with Kitty. Byron and his friends were still outside, which made James uneasy. Kitty laughing at Frank as she squirted him with the hose.

"Stop that, you bloody brat!" shouted Frank.

"My brother is a moron," said Kitty randomly.

Frank stared at her for a moment before asking, "Say that again."

"My brother is a moron," repeated Kitty.

"Hey, James! She's smarter than Malfoy already," exclaimed Frank. "Maybe she's not that b--"

SQUIRT! 

"YOU EVIL BRAT! I TAKE BACK WHAT I JUST SAID!" yelled Frank at the top of his lungs. Kitty squealed with laughter. "JAMES! DON'T JUST SIT THERE! HELP ME! STOP HER!"

James was about to do something when Lily came back in dry, clean clothes. She smiled at him before taking a seat next to him. "Maybe, we should help him," she suggested.

"Nah, she'll get tired soon enough," said James.

They spent the next hour watching Frank and Kitty fight for the hose. James' prediction came true and she tired herself out. Lily picked her up and carried her off to the Malfoys' suite to change her. James thought how pretty she looked like that. He didn't have much time to admire her.

"James! There you are!" exclaimed Tara. "I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

James looked at Frank in a panic. Frank shook his head and looked away with a huge grin on his face. _He didn't help me with the midget Malfoy, so I'm not helping him with the teenybopper Malfoy._ He waved goodbye as Tara dragged James away. 

*

Later that afternoon, Lily and Byron were working on setting up the tables for tomorrow. Lily hadn't been feeling well ever since she had gone and changed her clothes. In fact, she was feeling lightheaded. Her vision was blurring. "Are you okay?" asked Frank.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Maybe, I'm just tired," said Lily as she walked over to the living room. James was sitting with the Malfoys because Tara had dragged him with her like a rag doll. The most amusing thing was watching Kitty and Lucius arguing with each other.

"My brother is a moron," announced Kitty for the world to know.

"Stop that! I am not a moron, you brat!" exclaimed Malfoy.

"Bastard!" called Kitty.

"Shut it!" shouted Malfoy. He spotted Lily passing by. "Hey, Evans! What have you done with my sister?!"

"My brother is a moron," repeated Kitty.

"You heard that! You taught her that!" shouted Malfoy.

"I was only telling her the truth," said Lily calmly.

"Actually, Kitty would have figured it out eventually, Lucius," pointed out Tara. "I know I did."

Byron came to the living room when he heard Lucius yelling. "What's wrong? Stop yelling at him," he said to Malfoy. "Your parents obviously didn't teach you any manners."

"Watch it. You're just help. All I have to do is say one word, and I can get you all fired," warned Malfoy. 

"I'd like to see you try," said Byron calmly. 

Lily couldn't hear a word they were saying. She was too dizzy to understand what they were saying. She started to stumble backwards. She looked so pale. Byron and Malfoy shouted back and forth at each other. Everything started to go dark. Tara and Kitty were egging them on.

"Guys...stop..." whispered Lily, but she couldn't keep standing anymore. She fell back, but James was already on his feet and caught her before she could hit the floor. 

Byron and Lucius stopped when James caught Lily. Tara watched them with her mouth wide open, while Kitty mimicked her sister's expression. Byron approached them to take Lily from James, but he was stopped. "Don't touch him," ordered James as he straightened up with Lily in his arms. "I'm going to take him to our room."

He carried her all the way to the room, wondering what he should do. He wasn't sure what was wrong, so he was afraid of calling for help. If he called for help, then she'd be exposed. His train of thought was interrupted when there came a knock at the door. Before he could respond, the door swung open.

"I heard what happened," said Isabelle as she walked in.

"It's okay. He's just passed out," said James.

"No. I need to look him over," insisted Isabelle. "Wait outside."

"No."

"Go out now. Please. I promise. I won't let anything happen to him," said Isabelle as she lifted her eyebrow slightly at the word "him," giving indication that she knew the truth. He nodded before leaving the room. Isabelle walked over to her to check her breathing. It seemed like she was struggling a bit, so Isabelle lifted her shirt. 

"I knew it," muttered Isabelle as she loosened the tight bindings around Lily's chest. "Now where would you put that vest of yours. Ah." She spotted the trunk and opened it. The vest was still wet because it couldn't be left out to dry. Isabelle looked at it. "This won't do. Some alterations are necessary," she said as she took out her wand.

The first thing she did was dry the vest. With another tap of her wand and a small spell, she altered it to make it bigger. She even improved its ability to hide Lily's chest. Just as she finished, Lily woke up with a start. "What? Where am I?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Not too loud. James is lingering outside," said Isabelle as she smiled at her. "I warned you about your chest, didn't I? Why did you tie the bandages around yourself so tightly?"

Lily looked at her sheepishly. "I was feeling more self conscious about the whole thing. I guess I made it tighter because of it. What did you do to my vest?"

"I altered it," said Isabelle. "You're chest is growing. I made room for it and made it better for concealing them. However, I didn't put a charm on it to keep expanding as you expand. I just put enough room in it."

"Oh," said Lily. "Thank you, Isabelle."

Isabelle smiled at her and stood up. "You better put it on. It's dry now. James is anxious to see you. He's been worried. It's best to put his mind at ease. I have to go back to work. Take your time."

"I can't thank you enough, Isabelle," said Lily as she sat up more. She took off her shirt and quickly took off the bandages. Isabelle took them and put them in the trunk. Lily quickly donned the vest and her shirt. She lay back down as Isabelle opened the door.

"Take your time. I'll see you two later," said Isabelle as she smiled at James before leaving. He closed the door behind him and walked up to her bed. He went to go for a chair, but Lily said, "It's okay. You can sit on the bed." 

James sat down at the edge of the bed. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I can't believe I fainted. How embarrassing," answered Lily.

"Don't scare me like that again," he muttered. 

Lily stared at him. "I'm sorry. I just keep causing trouble for you, don't I?" she whispered.

James looked at her and sighed. "Don't go beating yourself up. Stop apologizing. You can't help it if you're accident prone."

"Accident prone?!" exclaimed Lily angrily. "I am not accident prone!"

"Oh, please. It's okay. It's part of your charm," said James as he gave her a smile, causing her face to turn bright red. There came a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Frank."

James stood up to answer the door to make sure that no one else was with him. "Hey, Lucas," greeted Frank.

"I'm fine, Frank. I'm sorry to worry you," said Lily.

"What? I wasn't worried!" lied Frank as his face turned red. "Just because I came here to check up on you doesn't mean I was worried."

The trio sat there for a while talking amongst themselves. After some time passed, they decided to and get ready for dinner. After dinner, James went outside for a bit of stargazing. Lily was sort of worried about him. He had been tense for the past few days, but if she had been paying more attention, she'd know that he was tense because of Byron.

She went outside with two mugs of hot chocolate. "Here's some hot chocolate," she said as she handed him a mug. "I didn't know if you liked marshmallows or not, so I just put two in."

"Thanks," he said as he took the mug. 

"You know back home my mum puts in some cinnamon. It tastes wonderful, but I saw Isabelle makes this. She didn't use cocoa powder. She melted chocolate from France to make this," said Lily brightly. "Hot chocolate tastes great with popcorn. My mum usually pops popcorn with it in a Muggle device called a microwave.

James was staring at her blankly. He realized she had the tendency to blabber on when she was uncomfortable. "I'm sorry. I should stop. I'm probably very annoying," she stopped.

"It's okay," said James as he took a sip. "It's very good."

"It is isn't it. Do you want me to get you some biscuits? They're pretty good with the cocoa," offered Lily.

"Sure," agreed James as looked out at the stars. He hoped that his friends were okay. The next night was a full moon. He wondered how Remus, Sirius, and Peter would handle it. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching him, but he knew it couldn't have been Lily. There would have been no way for her to go to the kitchen and back so quickly.

Byron walked over to him with his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to have a little chat with you, Potter," he said.

"What about?"

"About her."

James looked at him for a moment. "What about him?"

"You are 'his' guardian, aren't you? Or you fancy yourself one, don't you?" asked Byron.

James looked at him passively. 

"Or do you think of yourself as something more? Does she?" continued Byron. He was trying to get some reaction out of James. "Don't worry yourself, Potter. I'll take good care of your friend. You don't have to worry about a single thing. So, I would like to ask if it would be okay with you, Mr. Guardian, if I asked her out."

James' expression changed from expressionless to annoyance. "I won't let you do anything to her. Most people do exactly what I say because they don't know what I'll do."

Byron grinned at him. He turned to go back inside. "Interesting. The answer you just gave right now. Does that make you're more than just a guardian?"

James' expression changed into surprise. "By the way, I don't care either way what you think," added Byron before going inside.

James stood there with his hands clutched into fists. Lily came back with the biscuits, but she noticed how upset he was. He told her he was fine and took the biscuits from her. He thought of warning her about Byron again, but decided against it. He decided he would protect her by keeping her by his side. 

Soon everyone turned in for the evening. Lily lay in her bed wide away. She looked at the ceiling before she turned her head. James' eyes were closed, but she said out loud, "James, are you awake?"

He opened his chocolate brown eyes slightly. "What is it?" He didn't sound annoyed, just sleepy.

"Am I girly?"

The question shot his eyes wide open. "What?!" he exclaimed as he sat up with a jolt. "What did Byron tell you?"

"Huh? Why are you bring up Byron?" asked Lily. "I was just thinking...never mind. Good night." She turned away from him. James waited for her to go to sleep before going back to sleep himself.

*

The next day was the 23rd of December. The staff had to hurry up and do the last minute preparations for Christmas. Lily had to admit that she was feeling a little homesick. It was the first time she had ever spent Christmas away from her family. Part of her even missed Petunia just a tiny bit. 

Isabelle needed something from the nearby town for the Christmas dinner, so she told Byron to go into town. He asked Lily if she wanted to go with him. She agreed and he rushed her off before she could tell James or Frank. "The sooner we go to town, the sooner we get back," he explained to her.

"All right. I guess we won't be gone for too long," agreed Lily.

James and Frank were distracted by their "favorite" guests the Malfoys. Lucius was just as obnoxious as he normally was at Hogwarts. It wasn't too bad because his sisters were there to deflate his ego from time to time. Kitty kept calling him a moron, which everyone else still found amusing.

Tara kept clinging to James with her vise like grip. He struggled against it, but stopped after a while. "Hey, Malfoy, what kind of date did you have?" asked Frank knowingly.

Malfoy looked at Tara and immediately knew that she had told them what a disaster it had been. "You can't even back up your own brother, can you?"

"It was too funny to keep to myself," said Tara sweetly.

"So, it's true. You did fell flat on your face on the snow twice. By the second time, she went off with another guy," laughed Frank. Kitty giggled and pointed at her brother with him.

Malfoy decided to change the topic all together. "Say, Potter, don't you know that Evans went off with that Byron fellow?," he said smartly.

"What did you just say?" demanded James. His tone was enough to scare off Tara. She immediately loosened her grip on his arm.

"What? Are your ears as bad as your eyesight, Potter? Evans went off with Byron to town today," said Malfoy.

James stood up. "I have to go and ask Isabelle something," he said. He was feeling anxious now. He went to go and see Isabelle who was with the chief. They were kneading dough for the cookies and bread.

"Isabelle, where have Lucas and Byron gone?" asked James.

"They went into town to pick up more things for the Christmas dinner. The town is shutting down tomorrow," replied Isabelle. She saw the concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. What time did they leave?" asked James.

"Just this morning. The town isn't that far. They took the carriage. They should be back soon," Isabelle assured him.

James didn't go back to the others. He went to a quieter place in the chalet. He kept an eye out for Lily. He just had a bad feeling about the whole thing. The day passed by quickly. James began to wonder where they had gone. After a few hours, Isabelle came to him. "The carriage broke down. Byron says it's going to take them some time to get back," she told him.

"Are you sure?" asked James.

"You don't trust him, do you?" asked Isabelle.

"Which one?"

"Byron. He's not that bad. And I'm sure Lucas can handle himself," Isabelle quickly assured him. "I'll tell you as soon as they get back."

Soon the sun sunk down into the horizon. There came no word from Byron and Lily. James had no idea what was happening, but his instincts told him that something was wrong. He went outside and looked around first before walking off towards the trail.

James looked around once more before transforming into his Animagus form. He took off running. He hoped that he wasn't too late. He hoped that he was wrong.

*

Lily wondered what took Byron so long. He slowed them down the entire time. He kept stopping the carriage on the way to town to show her the sites. When they finally got to town, he showed her around before they went to get the things that Isabelle told them to get. Not that Lily didn't want to see the town, but she thought they were wasting too much time. She was finally glad when Byron decided it was time to return back to chalet.

"The sun's already going down," said Lily as she looked out the window of the carriage.

"Sorry about that. I guess I like to take my time doing things," said Byron.

"It's not a problem. I just hope that Isabelle doesn't get mad at us," said Lily as she smiled at him. On the way over to the town, he sat across from her, but on the way back he was sitting next to her.

More time passed again. Byron pulled the carriage over. "What's wrong? Why are you stopping the carriage?" asked Lily.

"You really don't know how to set the mood, do you?" asked Byron as he looked at her.

"What do you mean?" asked Lily.

"Just when a guy is getting ready to make his move," said Byron.

_Is he bisexual? Or does he still think I'm a girl_ thought Lily in alarm. He was sitting right next to her. She quickly looked to see where his were. They were right in his lap.

"You have a thing for James Potter, don't you?" said Byron. "Doesn't he only see you as a friend?"

"I-I know that," admitted Lily as she blushed.

"Then choose me instead," said Byron as he looked at her with an unflattering gaze. "I won't make you sad." He took a hold of her wrist. She couldn't pull back in time.

"But I--"

"I like you. I have liked you since I first saw you."

Lily tried to pull away from Byron. A surge of fearing swept through her body. The look on his face was the look of a pure predator. She reached for the handle of the door, but he stopped her in time. She struggled against his grip. 

"NO!" she screamed as she managed to free her hand. She pulled open the door, but she fell backwards with him on top of her. She was too afraid to speak.

Byron pulled up her shirt. "What's this? A vest?" he said as he reached for the zipper. Lily was too afraid to say anything and he kept her hands and legs pinned down. 

_I have to fight back. I can't just lay here! I have to fight back!_ Lily renewed her struggle as she tried to move him off her. _I-I can't get free!_

"Why don't you behave yourself?" asked Byron as he gave her a nasty grin. His hand ran down the side of her stomach.

_I'm exposed. _"NO!" shouted Lily. _I can't move an inch. I'm scared. Scared. SCARED! _She closed her eyes and tried to move her head away from him, while keeping it down so that he wouldn't have access to her neck.

Neither of them heard the sound of hooves approaching. In an instant, a hand came and grabbed Byron by the shoulder. He didn't have time to really look at James before a right cross landed on his face. The punch was so hard that James knocked him to the ground in one blow. 

Lily had time to sit back up and pull her shirt down. She had her arms crossed over her chest and she was breathing hard. James turned around. "Are you okay, Lucas?" he asked. 

Her eyes didn't meet his gaze. He knelt down to her level and tried to pull her arms loose from over her chest. 

"Ah. No," she muttered as her eyes widened at James' touch. She shot up. "NOOOOOOO!!" She took off running away from him. 

"Lucas!" he called out in alarm. She ran even faster. "Hey! Stop!" 

James took off after her and grabbed her wrist. "Lucas!" He grabbed both her arms from behind. "Lucas. Calm down."

"Noooooo!" she shouted again without turning. She just wanted to get away from him. "SCARED! I'm scared!" she cried as the tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Lucas," whispered James. He pulled her into his arms and held her closely in a comforting embrace. "It's okay."

"Scared. Scared," cried Lily.

"Don't be scared anymore. I'm here. So, don't be scared anymore. I'm here," whispered James over and over again. He held her until she stopped crying. Finally, she fell asleep in his arms, wrapped in his scent and his warmth. He silently swore to himself that he'd never let her go again if he could help it.

* * *

Post Author's Note: I just wanted to say that the Pomfrey family is really cool. I think in the first book, Harry mentioned that Madame Pomfrey doesn't really question the injuries that the students come in with (Ron with the bite from the dragon). That makes her cool in my book, so I made her children the same way. Isabelle will help Lily out as much as she needs. Poor Lucius, even his sisters show him no respect. What a good reason to be a Death Eater. LOL. I told people that Byron was a jerk. I like this chapter. There was another page to this chapter in the manga, but I like to end here. I didn't think that this chapter would be all that long, but it ended up long anyway. ^_^

For more info go to remyelf.livejournal.com

Please review. I would like to reach 260 reviews soon. Please review for the cause. More review gets you more story. ^_^ 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	11. Trust

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 11: Trust

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

James held Lily until she stopped crying. "Lucas, are you okay?" he asked. He realized that she had gone limp. _She fell asleep from crying so hard. _He thought as he picked her up in his arms. He soon realized that carrying her on his back was a lot easier and carefully adjusted to avoid waking her up.

James walked through the forest with Lily on his back. He thought of changing into his stag form, but decided against it. For one thing, he wouldn't be able to hold on to Lily, and there was also a chance that she would wake up. James started to think that it would have been better if he had taken the carriage and left Byron behind to rot. He kept going, but it was dark.

Lily was sleeping soundly. James wondered if she was really fine. Lost in his thoughts, James lost his footing and slipped downward. He had hit the edge of a ditch. He couldn't brace himself quickly enough. He couldn't even slow them down, but he tried with his feet. 

They ended up at the bottom. It was a long drop. James looked up and became disheartened. It wasn't a ditch really. It was more like a cliff. He looked around and saw that he could walk a long way to get back on the road by going in either direction, or he could attempt to climb back up. The climb would have taken less time, but he couldn't do it with Lily on his back. He didn't want to risk dropping her. It amazed him that she was able to sleep through all of it.

James supposed it was better that she did. He laid her out next to him. There was no point in moving any further. Exhaustion over took James. 

He put his arms around her and thought how nicely she fitted next to him. It was as if she was meant to be with him. James dismissed the silly notion as he looked at her. He pulled her even closer and finally went to sleep.

*

"Where the Hell did James go?" asked Frank.

"He must have gone out to look for Lucas and Byron," replied Isabelle. She would have said more, but she heard the sound of the carriage. She went outside to greet it and found that only Byron was coming out of it. She saw that his eye was already turning black. He didn't have to tell Isabelle what happened. She looked at him grimly as she shook her head. "Looks like you've been dealt with."

"I don't know where they went," admitted Byron. He knew how much trouble he was in. He could see it glimmering in Isabelle's eyes. He could only meet them briefly before looking away again.

"My brother is the doctor at Hogwarts," said Isabelle. "He was the one who recommended Lucas, Frank, and James to work here. I agreed. My brother was worried about Lucas' health because he tends to run into trouble from time to time. It's because he looks like a girl."

This was a very sly tactic that Isabelle was using. She knew how smart Bryon was. She was sure he'd catch on to what she was saying. It was a good trick and considering what he had done, he deserved it.

"Wait...your brother's the doctor at Hogwarts," repeated Byron as realization came to him. "That means he's examined Lucas. That means that he'd know if..."

"He'd know what?" asked Isabelle innocently. 

Byron shifted uncomfortably. Of course, the doctor of Hogwarts would know for sure if Lucas was a boy or a girl. "Nothing. Never mind," he mumbled before he spoke clearly again. "There's no reason for you to fire me because I quit. I am very sorry for what I did. Would you tell him that? Would you tell him that I'm sorry?"

Isabelle nodded. "I think it's best if you left as quickly as possible before you get into trouble with Frank Longbottom. You left his friends out there."

Byron nodded and told her where he had stopped the carriage. He didn't tell Isabelle the details of what he had almost done, but she could accurately guess. Soon after, she told him to get out of her sight because she was unable to hide her disgust any longer. She went back inside and saw that Lucius and Kat Malfoy were sitting by the fire.

It was an odd scene because Lucius had his baby sister on his lap. The silence was broken by Frank coming in. "Was it them?" he asked anxiously.

"No. We'll have to wait until morning. We may not be able to find them in that darkness. I'm sure they'll be fine," said Isabelle.

"That's not right! We should be out there looking for them!" exclaimed Frank.

"Longbottom, you're proof that Gryffindors are not long on common sense," said Lucius. "Besides, Evans and Potter can handle themselves."

Frank glared at the back of Lucius' platinum blond head. "Who came back just now?" he asked.

"Byron," replied Isabelle simply.

"What?! But, Lucas was with him!" exclaimed Frank. "Did he come back alone? Where did James go?"

"Calm down. Don't panic unless you know for sure you can get something usefully out of it. More often than not, you can't. We'll wait it out until they return," said Isabelle unperturbed. 

Kat stood up in Lucius' lap. "Hey, watch where you're stepping! Not that I want to have any children in the future," muttered Lucius. He didn't like children in the first place, yet his parents had saddled him with his little sisters. It was very annoying. He couldn't do anything as long as he was watching Kat. He had no idea where Tara had gone. For some unknown reason, she had gotten depressed and whiny. More whiny than usual. She was upset about something, but Lucius didn't care enough to ask.

Kat was looking at Frank and held out her arms. "Up!" she shouted.

Frank shook his head, but Kat pouted and made her eyes tear up. "Longbottom, just pick her up already. We're the guests," reminded Lucius, eager to rid himself of Kat.

Frank sighed because he saw the look in Isabelle's eye. He picked up Kat who seemed pretty happy about it. He was fast becoming her favorite person. It was going to be a long night.

*

Just before dawn, Lily woke up. Her left ankle was feeling very sore. She wondered if she had twisted it. However, something else made her wake up even more. Next to her was a sleeping James Potter. She noticed how long his eyelashes seemed, or maybe it was his glasses magnifying them. She noticed how his glasses had slipped down the ridge of his nose.

Lily could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears, and she was sure that her cheeks were bright red because they felt like they were on fire. She held her breath for a moment just as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning," said James quietly. He was thirsty and still tired.

"Where are we?" asked Lily.

"I was carrying you and slipped down the ridge up there. I didn't feel like climbing up or walking out. This was a safe place to spend the night. Are you okay?"

"I think my ankle is twisted. It hurts."

"Let me see."

Lily moved a bit to show him her ankle. He took off her shoe and sock and found that it was indeed a bit swollen. "I don't think it's broke," he commented. "But, I don't think you can walk on it."

"Maybe, I can get a crutch or something to help me walk."

"No, I'll carry you."

Lily shook her head furiously. She didn't want to be carried by him again. She was starting to feel stupid and embarrassed. She remembered what had happened the night before. Her eyes started to tear up in anger. "Aren't you going to tell me?" she demanded angrily.

"Tell you what?" asked James, mystified at the fact that she was crying. He was sure it wasn't from the pain.

"That I was wrong and stupid for trusting Byron," said Lily angrily. "You tried to warn me and I didn't listen to you."

James didn't think of that. "I wasn't going to say that," he said quietly. "I'm just glad I got there in time."

Lily looked down and wiped the tears away, but she tried not to be too obvious about it. She didn't want him to see her cry, knowing this James looked away for a bit. The pain in her ankle was nothing compared to the anger she was feeling towards herself. "Thanks," she murmured.

"No problem. You don't have to thank me," said James. "I just wish you'd trust me more that's all."

Lily looked up at him. His face was still averted. He was looking at the forest they were in. The snow had been falling again. Lily's foot felt numb because James had piled some snow on it while she wasn't paying attention. "But, I do trust you," she said quickly.

"Then, why won't you tell me your real name?" demanded James.

*

"I think we should go and look for them," said Frank the next morning at breakfast. "I'm sure they'll need help by now."

"It's cold out there," said Isabelle. "Take the carriage out and go along the road slowly, but stop every once in a while to look around Frank."

"Are you sure you don't need me here?" asked Frank.

"You are the one who kept bothering me about going out. You're no help like this," said Isabelle exasperatedly. "Go. For Merlin's sake, go already."

"Thanks, Isabelle," said Frank as he ran out to the stable to get the carriage.

Byron had emerged from just behind the corner. He was already packed to go. "Well, I supposed I should be heading out."

"Yes, you should," said Isabelle.

"Thanks for everything, Isabelle. I am sorry I wasn't the model employee," said Byron as he looked away from her.

"You aren't the model human being," muttered Isabelle in an acid tone. She saw the shameful look on Byron's face for a moment before he became stoic again. "However, there are very few humans who are model human beings. I hope you have learned something from all of this." 

Byron didn't say anything. His jaw was clutched. He wasn't going to sacrifice anymore of his dignity. Without a word, Isabelle handed him the little jar of Floo Powder. Byron got a pinch of it and threw it into the hearth. The flames became green, he stepped in to them and said in clear voice, "Beauxbatons!"

The flames swirled and Byron was gone. Isabelle started to get to work. She wanted to curse the children for not being there to help her like they were supposed to.

*

James looked at her sharply. He was tired of playing this ridiculous game of pretending he didn't know what her true gender was. He wasn't going to play stupid any longer. She turned pale suddenly, and he immediately felt guilty about scaring her. He kept his face still.

"Um...I don't know what you're t-talking about," stammered Lily. She turned to look away from him, but James grabbed her chin.

"Look, it's just the two of us here. I haven't told anyone. If I meant to tell anyone earlier, I would have already. You would have been expelled from Hogwarts long before your brother came to make trouble," said James stiffly. "Come on, you say you trust me, right? Tell me the truth."

Lily shook free from his grip and tried to stand up, only to feel a sharp stab of pain. Her foot was also numb from the cold. "You can't go anywhere without your shoe and sock. And you're being stubborn. Just sit back down," said James.

"If you knew the truth before, why didn't you say anything? What is the truth?" challenged Lily without sitting down.

James stood up to his full height, which was just under six feet. He was still growing and it was a sure bet that he would be around six feet. He was much taller than she. Lily started to regret challenging him, but her pride prevented her from backing down.

"Maybe, it was because I didn't want you to get into trouble," said James. "I do a lot of things that the headmaster and the rest of the faculty doesn't know about. Even Filch don't have a clue."

"Like what? Sneaking out during the dead of night?" asked Lily.

"I thought you were asleep!" exclaimed James.

"You're not the only one who's smart, Potter," Lily spat back angrily as she put her arms on her hips. 

James glared at her. He realized how adorable she was trying to be so tough. He started to laugh. Lily looked at him, getting madder by the second at him. "Well, Potter?"

"Sorry, it's just hard to take you seriously when you look like that," said James.

Lily couldn't suppress the urge to punch him or at least wipe that smile off his face. She attempted to do so, but James ducked and sat back down. Her toes felt numb. James took out his handkerchief and gestured for her to sit down again. He took her foot into his lap and wiped off the snow. He put her sock back on. "It's better without the shoe."

"Come on, I'll carry you back. Today is the day before Christmas," said James. 

"Yes. I had to send some owls from town home," said Lily. 

"What do you want for Christmas?" he asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want," she replied. _Being with you is enough of a gift._ She pressed her face against the back of him neck, causing shivers to travel down his spine. James ignored it as he pressed onward. He managed to walk out of the place they had landed. 

"James! Lucas!" shouted Frank as he stopped the carriage. "I'm glad I found you. I would have gone out last night, but Isabelle wouldn't let me. She made me play with the Malfoy brat," he said as he jumped down from the carriage.

"What happened?" he asked when he got to them.

"He got hurt on the trail," replied James. He really didn't want to explain what happened to Frank. "Let's go back. I'll explain more after we get some more rest."

"Okay," said Frank. "Lucas, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but my ankle hurts," said Lily.

"Here, let me help you," offered Frank as he tried to get Lily off of James' back. Frank received a glare from James for attempting to do so. He backed up a bit in surprise.

"Just get the door for us," said James.

Frank opened the door for them and waited until James was inside before piling inside. "Something happened. I think that Byron got fired," Frank told them.

"He deserves it," muttered Lily angrily.

"What happened?" asked Frank again. He looked to see that James had fallen asleep. His head was drooping on Lily's shoulder. He glared at James then at Lily.

"What?" asked Lily tiredly. "James said that he'd explain when we got back."

Frank didn't say anything more until they got back. James woke up before they arrived. They found that Isabelle was waiting for them. She told them that they had the rest of the day off because all of the guests were returning home for Christmas, except the Malfoys.

Tara was waiting for James. He was far too tired to be polite with her. Frank walked ahead of them. "Come on, Lucas," urged James. "We can get some more sleep." She was slowing them down because she didn't want to be carried in front of that many people. "Let me support you."

Lily was going to say no, but she was too tired to argue with him. She allowed him to support her. Isabelle had already walked ahead of them by that time. She thought that there was something going on between the pair, but she didn't ask. 

They had walked under the archway only to hear the very obnoxious voice of Lucius Malfoy saying, "Hey, Potter. Evans. You're under the mistletoe. Aren't you going to kiss?"

Simultaneously, James and Lily looked above their heads. They looked back at Malfoy with twin glares of annoyance. "Shut up, Malfoy," said James.

"I don't care anymore. I just want to lay down," said Lily. 

Isabelle came back with the first aid kit. "I can't say that I'm as good as my brother, but I did learn from my mother how to nurse people," said Isabelle. "Let's go to your room first."

The three of them went back to the room. Isabelle put a numbing spell on Lily's ankle before apply a salve to take down the swelling. "I do have to say that you're a bit accident prone, Lucas," she commented. "But, I'm only joking."

"It's just the way he is," said James. 

"Would you mind stepping outside for a moment, James?" requested Isabelle.

James nodded and went outside. As soon as he got outside, Isabelle said, "Let me help you change clothes. The swelling will go down right away, but you need to get more sleep. You've been through a lot."

"Thanks," murmured Lily. As soon as Isabelle was done, she called James back in. He went back in and changed his clothes in the bathroom before going to sleep on his bed.

*

Much later, there came a soft knock at the door. "Hey, guys. It's time for dinner," called Frank.

Lily answered. She had already changed clothes. "Okay, but James is still asleep."

"He's starting to be like Remus Lupin," joked Frank. 

"I'll try to wake him up," said Lily.

"Fine, I'll see you," said Frank. Lily closed the door to check up on James. He was sitting up, wide awake. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's almost seven," replied Lily. 

"I'll change in the bathroom. You change in here. I'll knock before coming out," he said as he stood up. Lily nodded. James grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom.

Lily quickly changed clothes. She remembered something important. She searched through her coat pocket and pulled out something. It was still intact. She breathed a sigh of relief. There came a knock from the bathroom. "Just a minute," she said as she tucked the object into her trunk. "Okay, I'm ready."

James came out wearing a pair of slacks and a white, long sleeved shirt. "Let's go. I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since dinner last night," said James.

"I haven't eaten longer than you," said Lily. "I was more tired than hungry. I guess."

"Yeah, I suppose our bodies thought that the sleep was more important than food," agreed James.

They walked out to the dining room to find that the Malfoys were already sitting down. "How good of you to finally grace us with your presence, Mr. Potter. Mr. Evans," drawled Malfoy in a sarcastic tone.

"How can this truly be Christmas without you, Mr. Malfoy," said Lily coolly.

"Now, now. Let's all put our differences aside," said Isabelle peaceably as she and Frank came in with some of the food. "Let's all forget that we're from different houses. Here, we're all from one house."

Frank took his seat next to Lily, which was across from Kat. James was sitting across from Lucius, leaving Lily to look at Tara. As soon as all of the food was served, everything went by much more smoothly than it would have normally done. Perhaps, it was the holiday spirit. Or maybe it was Isabelle forcing them to get along.

After dinner, everyone gathered around the fire once again. To the Gryffindors' collective surprise, Malfoy actually produced presents for his sisters. Kat and Tara were too impatient to wait for the next morning to open them, so Malfoy let them.

"Wow," said Tara in awe as she pulled out a dress that was white and silver. It was something that would bring out the color of her eyes and make her look like a snow queen.

Kat opened her present and found that it was a stuffed bear. A very expensive, wizard's stuff bear that could talk and dance at her commands. However, Kat found that she enjoyed playing with the box that the bear came in much more than the toy itself. Within minutes, the bear laid abandoned while Kat explored the box thoroughly. This exasperated her brother to no end.

"I can't believe this! That bear costs a fortune, Kat!" bellowed Malfoy angrily. "And you're just playing with the box it came in?!"

"Wee!" exclaimed Kat as she tossed wadded up wrapping paper at her brother.

"You are a brat!" declared Malfoy angrily as he got pelted by wrapping paper. It wasn't just Kat. Frank, Lily, and James were also throwing paper at him.

"Calm down. She will play with the bear as soon as we get rid of the box," assured Isabelle. 

"I got you something, Lucas. But, you can't open it until the morning," said Frank.

"I got you something, too, Frank. But, it was in the bags that I had when I went to town," said Lily.

"I put those presents under the tree," said Isabelle. "Here's one more for Kat. Along with Frank's present. Here's mine. Thank you, Lucas. But, you didn't have to get me anything. We'll just leave these for tomorrow."

James noticed that his present wasn't there. "My present for you, Lucas, is there, too," he said. 

Lily nodded and smiled. He wasn't sure what she was up to. Lily had left his present back in their room and was going to give it to him later.

"I'm going to bed. The sooner we go to bed the sooner the presents from Mum and Dad will arrive," said Tara standing up and stretching her limbs. Kat stood next to her and mimicked her.

"Yeah, go. You two really annoy me," muttered Malfoy.

Tara fluttered her eyelashes at James before leaving, but he wasn't paying any attention. The four students from Hogwarts sat around the fire. Malfoy decided it wasn't wise for him to anger the three Gryffindors because he was severely out numbered. 

"This is the first time I've ever spent Christmas away from home," said Frank out loud.

"Really? Me, too," said Lily.

"What are you two? Babies?" snorted Malfoy.

"Don't blame us if our parents want us around," shot back Lily. "What about you, James?"

"Me? This isn't the first time I've spent Christmas away from my family. Sometimes, I spend Christmas with Sirius and Remus," said James. "Sirius goes back to Japan sometimes because of his father's job. Or I go and stay with Remus' family in France."

"Yeah, right," said James. "Anyway, what about you, Lucas?"

"Um...sometimes it's hard to figure out who I want to spend Christmas with. My sister, Petunia, always complains that things aren't proper enough for her tastes. I don't mind my brother, Eric, too much. He makes everything fun. Everything was wonderful until my parents divorced. I was tired of deciding whose side I was on. So, it's a relief to be away from home, both homes, for Christmas. What about you, Frank?"

"Well, my mum and dad are just as busy as James' parents, but we live in England. I have a huge extend family," said Frank. "There's always a lot of people around. It's so crowded. I can't imagine having a family like that when I'm older. Maybe, I'll only have one or two kids. I don't know."

"I can't stand children. They're all brats, Longbottom," muttered Malfoy. "The whole lot of them. I'm never having children."

"I think there's a clause somewhere in a law book that says you shouldn't be breeding, Malfoy. And furthermore, I doubt that anyone would actually consider helping you. So, I don't think you have anything to worry about," said James, causing the other two Gryffindors to laugh.

"I would say the same thing about you, Potter. You definitely would be doing the world a favor by not breeding," said Malfoy.

"Okay, that's enough," said Lily as she and Frank got over their laughter.

The night dwindled down. After some more hot cocoa, they all went to bed. James and Lily said good night to each other. Just before midnight, Lily woke up again and went to her trunk. She got James' present and as quietly as possible crept out the room.

James' eyes shot open the moment he heard the door shut. He got out of bed and grabbed his glasses. He followed her quietly as she put the present under the tree.

"I thought you'd be down here," said James.

"Ah! Stop that!" exclaimed Lily in surprise. "What are you doing down here?"

"I thought we could continue our conversation from earlier," said James.

Lily laughed nervously. She thought that he had forgotten, but he was too smart to do that. "What? You thought I forgot?"

"No, of course not. I just don't know where to begin," said Lily as she took a sit.

"Why don't you tell me why you came to Hogwarts in the first place?" asked James.

She told him everything. She told him how she admired his Quidditch playing and how much she just wanted to get to know him. She told him how much easier it was to get to know if she disguised her gender and how Bella helped her. James listened to all of it without asking any questions.

"I see." 

"How long have you known?" asked Lily out of curiosity.

"You didn't do a good job. I had you pegged after the first day," said James. "Otherwise, how could I keep out of your way when you were changing? I didn't ask questions either because I already knew."

"Oh. You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" whispered Lily nervously.

"Like I said, if I wanted to, I would have already. Not even Sirius or Remus know anything," replied James. "Besides, part of me admires you for being able to get away with it. You fooled a lot of people very well."

"It's hard lying all the time," admitted Lily.

"You're going to have to. Otherwise, you'll get kicked out of the school," said James.

"You don't want me to get kicked out?" asked Lily in amazement.

"Let's just say that I don't want to break in another roommate. I've kind of gotten used to you," admitted James.

They sat there in silence while waiting for the clock to turn to midnight. Lily handed James his present. He opened it and found another good luck charm. 

"I hope you like it. I didn't know what to get you. So, I decided to get you a real good luck charm," said Lily.

James looked at it and smiled. To her utter surprised, he reached over and kissed her on the lips. He pulled back and smiled again. "That's to make up for the mistletoe. I heard that it's bad luck if you don't follow the mistletoe. Thanks."

Lily sat there speechless for a moment. It was looking like the best Christmas she ever had.

"By the way, there's one more thing," started Lily.

"What?" asked James.

"Lily. That's my name," she replied with a smile.

* * *

Post Author's Note: Lately, I've been too busy to write. Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. ^_^;; There was an idiot who flamed the story without reading it, which just really pisses me off. A lot of people assume that I magically write this fic and that it should be easier because I'm drawing from two resources. It's difficult to mold the stories into one. People keep asking the same questions over and over again. Just go to the journal. I have it to answer questions. There is a Q & A after each chapter. 

Just review, I don't care anymore about the number of reviews. I only ask so that I have a buffer for how long before I have to the next chapter out. However, people review too quickly or give multiple reviews, so I've decided that I'll update whenever I can. I have more tests coming up then summer school. I hope to finish this story before the next book comes out that way my plotline doesn't get messed by any more information. ^_^ Well, it's not like this plot isn't messed up already. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	12. A True Christmas Present

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 12: A True Christmas Present

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

The next morning, Lily and James woke up and got down to the living room just as Frank was coming down. The snow had fallen again just hours before dawn. Isabelle greeted them with smiles and hot chocolate. The Malfoys were still in bed, so this gave the Gryffindors some time to enjoy the morning.

"Let's see," said Frank as he dug through the presents. He separated the presents into piles for each person. "Here's my present, Lucas."

Lily opened it and found that it was a set of quills. They were different kinds. One kind produced ink like water colors, another had ink like a colored pencil, and the last one was just plain ink. The first two quills changed colors into various shades, while the last one was just black. "I thought you could use them," said Frank with a shrug.

"Here's my present," said James as he handed her a box. She opened it and found a book. "I didn't know what to get you," he admitted.

Lily opened it. "It's a journal," she murmured. "Looks like the quills will be put to good use, Frank. I can draw in this."

"I figured as much. With your wand, you can make the book have lines wherever you want," said James.

"Thanks, guys," said Lily with a smile. "Frank, here's your present."

Frank opened it and found an assortment of different kinds of candy, including some he had never seen before. "What's a Mars bar?" he asked as he picked it up.

"I figured you deserved to have something a little exotic. I put in a mix of Muggle candy in there," said Lily with a smile. "Along with some wizarding candy. I didn't know what you wanted either. But, look at the bottom of the box."

Frank lifted some of the candy and found a stack of strange Muggle comics. "I used to get those when I was at home in the States. If you don't want the candy, I'll take it," said Lily.

"No," said Frank. "It's okay. Wow. Look at these comics, James. None of the pictures are moving. What a mind trip." He flipped through a copy of Superman. He also had copies of X-Men and Spiderman.

"Yeah, those are Muggle comics from America. My brother used to collect them all the time, so I sent him some money, and he sent them right over," explained Lily. "I hope you don't mind the gift. It's not too Muggle for you."

"No, I already said it's okay. It's just that I've never seen anything like this before," said Frank as he flipped through the comic books. "This is so weird. None of these drawings are moving. This would definitely freak most people out."

"Most wizards out, you mean?" corrected Lily with a laugh. She was very happy with her presents. Most people would have thought they were too practical. To her, it showed her that her friends put a lot of thought into getting her presents. It showed her that they cared about her, which only served to increase her guilt.

James elbowed her to snap her back to reality. Lily looked at him with mild surprise followed by uncommon embarrassment. "Come on. Let's go and get some breakfast before the Malfoys get up and ruin everything," he suggested.

"Yeah," agreed Frank.

They trouped over to the kitchen to get some biscuits and to refill their mugs with more hot chocolate. "Don't worry today. You have the day off," announced Isabelle. "I just got word from the Malfoys' parents. They have sent a message for their children to return home."

"Yes!" exclaimed Frank and James in unison. Lily rolled her eyes at them, but smiled. "This truly is Christmas," said James.

"We should help them pack, so that they could get on their way faster," suggested Frank eagerly.

"Yes," agreed James as they started to make their way towards the Malfoys' suite.

Lily shook her head at them and didn't move. Isabelle came up to her and said, "They're very lively this morning."

"It's Christmas," said Lily as a way of explanation as she decided to finally join the boys. 

*

Within an hour, the Malfoys were all packed and ready to go. They had to bring their presents with them, making the space underneath the tree even barer than before. None of that mattered to Frank and James just as long as the Malfoys were leaving. James couldn't stand Lucius and Tara another day, while Frank couldn't stand Lucius and Kat another second. 

"Bye. Make sure you haven't forgotten anything," said Frank. "We wouldn't want you coming back here too soon."

"Aren't we a little eager, Longbottom?" asked Malfoy as he picked up Kat who had been gesturing him to do so for more than five minutes.

"No, of course not," replied Frank very quickly.

Tara wasn't happy about it at all. She was whining to James about it. "But, I don't want to go home! I was having fun here. It's like Father always knows and always jumps right in to stop my fun!"

James looked at Lily for help, but she stood there in silent amusement. Her emerald green eyes were twinkling with unexpressed laughter. "Well, have a Merry Christmas," said Lily finally as she came up to Tara.

Tara gave Lily a hug, which caused Lucius' attention to turn back to them. "Hey, don't hug him!"

"I'll hug whomever I want, Lucius," spat Tara indignantly as she went to go and hug James. He stopped her before she could even put her arms around him. She looked at him with hurt eyes.

"I have a girlfriend," James told Tara.

"What? Since when?" she asked.

"Yeah...since when?" asked Lily suspiciously. Even Frank and Lucius looked utterly surprised at his announcement. "This is the first I've heard of it," she went on.

"Just a bit ago. I'm sorry, Tara," said James without looking at Lily. 

"Well, there you have it, Tara," said Lucius. He was suspicious because he'd noticed that Lily didn't know either. There went the theory that James was gay.

"But, who?" demanded Tara angrily.

"Let's go," said Lucius more forcefully as he grabbed her arm. "You should act more mature about this." Inadvertently, he had leaned forward just so that Kat was within reach of Frank. She took full advantage of it and grabbed Frank's longish bangs.

"OW!" exclaimed Frank as he tried to pry Kat's hands off. "Let go!"

Lucius turned his attention away from Tara to laugh at Frank. "HA! She's got you!"

Lily put her hand in front of her mouth to hide her smile. The smile quickly vanished because Kat started to cry as if she was in great distressed. "I don't want to go home!" she sobbed.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily as she walked up to Kat. "Why don't you want to go home, Kat?"

Kat sobbed and cried in response, but couldn't say what was wrong exactly. "Tell her to let go of my hair," said Frank. Lily didn't say anything for a minute as she studied the situation. After that she snapped her fingers.

"I know what's wrong, Frank. Kat likes you. She doesn't want to go because you're here," explained Lily. Lucius rolled his eyes as if he was in pain.

"Why? Merlin, you girls are stupid. These boys are Gryffindors," said Lucius exasperatedly. "We have to get going. I want to get out of here before I catch something and find myself attracted to Evans."

"Okay, okay," said Frank, feeling bad for making a three-year-old cry. He fished something out of his pocket. "It's my good luck charm."

"I thought you didn't believe in that kind of stuff," piped up Lily with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't, so that's why I'm giving it to you," said Frank as he handed a rune key chain from his set of keys. He had another key chain in the set, so it wasn't a problem. "Take good care of it, okay?"

Kat let go of his hair and took the key chain with tearful eyes. She gave him a small nod and pressed her head against her brother's chest. "Let's go!" ordered Lucius impatiently.

"Very well," said Tara with a sigh as she looked at James. "I'll never forget you." She held out her hand for him to shake. James gave her a very short handshake. "And if things, don't work out--"

"Never mind that," snapped Lucius as he grabbed her arm. "Let's go," he repeated.

"Can't you think of any variation?" asked Tara. "You keep saying 'Let's go.' You're so boring."

Lucius wouldn't hear of it any longer. He dragged Tara off and carried Kat with one arm. Lily, Frank, and James helped by picking up their luggage for them and following along. In less than fifteen minutes, the Malfoys were well on their way. Just as soon as they were gone, James and Frank were breathing sighs of relief. They didn't stop waving until Lily said, "They're gone. You can stop pretending now."

"Oh, thank goodness," muttered Frank, relaxing the fake smile on his face.

"I thought they'd never leave," said James happily. He stopped waving his hand. 

"Since when did you get yourself a girlfriend, James? I mean I'm your roommate and I don't know about it," said Lily calmly.

"Yeah, James, Lucas is right," said Frank as he rounded on James. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Lily," replied James casually.

Lily nearly choked on nothing, causing Frank to come to her aid. "Are you okay, Lucas?" he asked. "What's wrong?" 

She glared at James at that moment. Her thoughts started going faster than James on his broomstick. _What is he thinking? What is going on in that thick skull of his? Is he joking? He'd better not be joking. If he is, then I'm going to--_

"You can't be bloody serious!" exclaimed Lily finally.

James didn't look at all disturbed by her words. Instead, he smiled at them. "Wait, I don't know who that is," said Frank. "Who is she, Lucas? Do you know her?"

"You could say that," said Lily through her teeth. "Let's talk, James. Now."

"Okay," agreed James eagerly. "See you later, Frank."

"All right," said Frank, wondering whether or not James was going to get killed by his own roommate.

Lily walked ahead of James in silence until they got to their room. She closed the door behind him in a loud snap before turning around and facing him. Her face was now bright red. "What do you mean you have a girlfriend named Lily?" she demanded.

"Calm down, Lily," said James soothingly. "Why are you so mad?"

Lily exploded, "Don't use that name! What if someone can hear you?! _Why am I mad_?! Why? Because you're saying that I'm your girlfriend! That's why I'm mad! I don't recall agreeing to that!" She was shoving him, causing James to back away from her. "Why aren't you saying anything now? You were talking a lot a while ago!"

James started to laugh, which didn't make Lily any less mad. She started to strike his chest. The back of his knees hit the edge of his bed. He allowed himself to fall back, while taking Lily with him. She was now on top of him, still hitting his chest. He laughed the whole time. It was injuring Lily's pride a bit and perhaps, he should have considered it a serious attack.

He wrapped his arms around her, bring her closer. "Okay, okay. Perhaps, I should have asked you first," he admitted, still laughing.

"James, let me go," muffled Lily against his chest. 

"What was that?"

"I can't breath." James pretended he couldn't hear her properly. He knew that she could breathe just fine. "Let me just say this before you interrupt me again. You seem to have a habit for doing that."

Lily made some muffled sounds that sounded like, "I do not."

"You being my girlfriend would make it easier. It would give me a better reason to keep my mouth shut about this whole thing, Lily."

Lily managed to struggle free from James' grip. She looked at him with shocked eyes, but her anger was still there. "Wait, I didn't tell you my secret just so you can blackmail me like this."

"Let's not call it that."

"But that's what it is."

"I know, but let's not call it that."

James' tone sounded so playful that it only served to irritate her even more so. "You can't be bloody serious."

"You're starting to get a little repetitive, Lily. Besides, I'm James, not Sirius."

Lily gave him a That-is-not-funny look. "Okay, okay. That was an old joke." James chuckled.

"Stop laughing already," said Lily.

"I thought you liked me. You liked me enough to dress up as a boy and come to Hogwarts," reasoned James. "So, I figured you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend."

"You're too straightforward."

"I thought Americans like things straightforward and to the point."

"I'm not really an American."

"Well, then I'm going to have trouble remembering to keep this a secret. I mean there's Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I tell them everything. I mean everything."

"Don't you dare!"

"But, I'll have trouble remembering."

Lily glared at him. James' smile never left his face. At that moment, she realized she was on his bed again and tried to get up, but he prevented her. He kissed her cheek. "Even if you don't agree, you can still sleep in my bed."

"James Potter, why aren't you more fun around other people? You haven't acted like this before," said Lily.

"I decided it was time to finally enjoy myself. It's been a while," said James.

Lily's eyebrows knitted in thought with his statement. She had always thought there was something that was bothering him, but she wasn't sure about that. She wanted to learn more about him, but she didn't want to ask what it was. Lily was snapped out of thought by James cupping her chin with his hand. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I will go out with you on one condition," she answered.

"What?"

"You know my secrets. Don't keep yours from me," Lily replied as she placed her hand on top of his.

"So, you really want to know everything?" asked James.

"Not right now. Just some things as we go," replied Lily.

"Fine."

Lily smiled at James. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had," she whispered.

"Me, too," he agreed.

For the rest of the afternoon, James and Lily stayed together. This would be the first of only a few happy Christmases they would spend together. From that moment on, they would spend time together as if they had all the time in the world. 

* * *

Post Author's Note: This isn't the end of the story by no means. I still have three more parts to go. Foreshadowing happens to be one of my favorite devices along with cliffhangers and irony. A lot of the funny James/Lily stories don't have much in the way of foreshadowing events. They do like to say that Lily would make a great mum, or something like that. Just review. I'd also like to say that no matter how many suggestions people will put as to how Lily will reveal herself, I will not listen. So, don't bother trying. 

Go to kirikarin.livejournal.com for more info. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	13. Return to Hogwarts

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 13: Return to Hogwarts

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

The day after Christmas, Isabelle escorted Lily, James, and Frank back to Hogwarts. Isabelle went to go and visit her brother in the infirmary and found that he had already escaped from her grasp. Everyone was still away for vacation and they wouldn't be returning until after New Year's Day.

Lily and James still had to work a few things out, before everyone else came back from school. Frank knew that James had a girlfriend, but he had no idea that Lucas was Lily. This was going to be problematic because Frank was already spreading the news throughout the population of the school that had stayed during the holidays. James didn't mind it so much, but Lily did.

As soon as Isabelle had given up on looking for Pierre, Lily decided to go and look for him to get some advice. She eventually found him hiding in one of the hidden panels of the medicine storeroom. "It's safe now. You can come out," said Lily, giggling.

"Mon Dieu. I thought she'd never leave," muttered Dr. Pomfrey. "What are you doing here? What's wrong now?"

"You're lucky I didn't tell her about the hidden panel," said Lily. "Anyway, I have a bit of a problem. Not really a problem. Hmm. How can I explain?"

"Just tell me already," ordered the French doctor impatiently. 

Lily explained to him the whole situation. Dr. Pomfrey listened without interruption, but he did chuckle every once in a while. By the end, he was laughing so hard he could barely control himself. Lily looked at him completely exasperated with her foot tapping impatiently. "Are you done laughing yet?" she asked, quite irritated.

"Yes," chuckled Dr. Pomfrey. "So, you're now officially his girlfriend. Or boyfriend. This is confusing."

Lily blushed at his statement. "So, what's the problem?" he went on. "You should be happy."

"That's exactly the point. I am so confused. This changes everything about our relationship before. I don't know how to act. I've never had a boyfriend before," admitted Lily.

"Do I look like I know what you should do?" asked Dr. Pomfrey. "Just be yourself. I've said that before. You don't have to pretend to be a boy around him anymore."

"That's true. But, I'm living with him in the same room," said Lily.

"I thought he knew for sure ahead of time that you were really a girl," pointed out Dr. Pomfrey. "Rumor has it that he's due to be Head Boy."

Lily was more surprised by James knowing that she was a girl ahead of time than him being Head Boy. She was wondering if she would stay in Hogwarts long enough to see that. She knew that she couldn't keep up the lie much longer. If James knew before she had told him, then there was a chance that other people knew as well.

This gave Lily loads to think about over the next few days. They had a quiet New Year's. The other students returned to the school. Sirius, Remus, and Peter returned all at the same time. They all went to go and look for James the moment they returned. 

Sirius knocked on the door. He listened very carefully, but he didn't hear anything. "James, it's Sirius. We're back. Are you in there?" he asked. He listened again and the door swung open.

"Hey Sirius. Remus. Peter. When did you guys get back?" asked James.

"Just now," replied Remus. "Mind if we come in."

"No problem," said Lily as she smiled at them. "What did you guys do during the break?"

Remus and Sirius sat on James' bed because he had sat on Lily's. James didn't really want any other guy sitting on it. Peter took the chair from James' desk, and Lily was in her own chair. "Well, you missed a great time in France in Remus' family's vineyard," said Sirius. "Did you have to work hard? Or was Reggie's mum as laidback as Dr. Pomfrey?"

Lily and James laughed. "She inherited her work ethic from Madame Pomfrey. She barely gave us any time off," answered James. "She wasn't that bad compared to the Malfoys."

"The Malfoys were there?" asked Peter.

"Not all of them. Just Lucius and his sisters," replied Lily.

"They were all pains in the arse," said James. "Especially his younger sister. His kid sister was the only decent one in the bunch."

"Aw. You mean you don't like Tara?" teased Lily.

"Tara? Was she cute?" asked Sirius.

"Very," said Lily, thinking it was a good idea to say so. She wanted to appear as much as a teenage boy as possible. That included being interested in girls. James was grinning ear to ear because they had spent the past few days coming up with a plan on how to improve Lily's disguise. 

"She was a pest," said James.

"But she was cute," insisted Lily. "But, I don't think Malfoy liked her obvious crush on you." She laughed.

"What about the other Malfoy?" asked Remus.

"Her name's Kat. She's three years old. And she's so adorable. She developed a crush on Frank," answered Lily. "She got so upset that she didn't want to go home and leave him."

"He's a cradle robber," laughed Sirius. 

"Did you make any money? Not that you need it," said Remus.

"We made some money," said James. He had saved it up in his trunk rather than send it to his father for depositing into his vault at Gringotts. He had noticed how much Lily needed the money she had made. He watched her make a list in her notebook of expenses, which included trips to Hogsmeade. She also had extra expenses that girls just couldn't avoid. Lily had written her mother and told her that she would take care of it on her own. James kept his money in case she needed it.

"What else did you guys do?" asked Lily.

"Well, you see Remus had to--" started Peter.

James cut him off, "Why don't you guys go back to the tower? I have a meeting to attend." Peter put his hands in front of his mouth. Lily instantly thought that they were hiding something. She stared at Remus who looked back at her calmly. 

"We're sorry to keep you, James," said Sirius quickly as he stood up. "We should get back to the tower. We have to get ready for class tomorrow."

Lily wanted to ask what was wrong with Remus again, but something in their tones told her not to. Sirius gave her a look that silenced her as they left. "See you guys tomorrow," said Remus. "We've got Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I think Potions, right, Sirius?"

"Yeah. See you," said Sirius. They were out the door. James closed the door behind him and sighed. Lily turned back to her desk as he came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Finally, I thought they'd never leave."

"What was that about?" asked Lily quietly.

"What was what about?" asked James.

"You know what I mean. What's wrong with Remus? What chronic condition does he have?" asked Lily.

James took his arms off of her and straightened up. "What makes you think he has a 'chronic condition?'"

"He's always sick, but most of the time he's fine. Every month he seems to come down with something, James. And just now, Peter was going to say something, but you stopped him. What's wrong with Remus? You can tell me. You know everything about me."

"It's not my business to tell you, Lily," said James. He only called her that in private. "It's Remus' business if he wants to tell you."

"You're helping him, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course, I am. He's my friend," he replied without hesitation. "Look, just stop asking about him, okay? Like I said, it's his business if he wants to say anything or not."

Lily frowned at James. He shook his head. He wasn't going to give her an answer. "Don't you have a meeting to go to?" asked Lily, deciding it was better to change the subject.

"No. Well, yes, but I really don't want to go," answered James as he leaned back in his bed. "I'm going to take a nap."

Lily sighed as she smiled. She just couldn't help herself.

*

The next morning, there was a lot of teasing and razzing waiting for Frank because Sirius couldn't help himself. He teased Frank about Kat Malfoy's crush on him. Frank took it good naturedly. He let something slip.

"Tara Malfoy had a thing for James, even though she was talking to Lucas a lot. James finally got rid of her by saying he had a girlfriend," said Frank.

The other Marauders stopped talking and turned to look at James. "Girlfriend?" laughed Sirius. "You must have been desperate to get rid of her. Not that I blame you. Imagine Malfoy as your brother-in-law."

Remus didn't seem to see it as a joke though. "Do you have a girlfriend, James, that we haven't heard of?"

Peter didn't say anything because Remus and Sirius had taken all the clever things to say. James nodded slightly as he took a sip of pumpkin juice. Sirius' eyes bugged out. "You do? When? Who? How?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said James slyly. Lily shook her head. He was having too much fun with this. 

"Did you know about this, Lucas?" asked Remus.

"I only found out during the vacation. It's as much a surprise to you as it is to me," she answered. "I have no idea who his girlfriend is. He won't tell me. And I don't really care."

Frank smiled slightly. "But, you liked Malfoy's sister better than he did."

"She was cute, but too talkative for my tastes," said Lily. "Besides, she's too young for me, cradle robber."

Frank turned red at the ears. "I am not a cradle robber," he said indignantly.

The whole Gryffindor table laughed, causing attention from the Slytherin table. Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape were sitting next to each other watching them with increasing disgust. They both took a swig of pumpkin juice, wishing it was something stronger. 

"Can you believe them? They were nothing but servants for the vacation. It was paradise. That's how it should be," muttered Lucius.

Snape didn't care whether or not James Potter was a servant. His family was well off, but they had house elves who were absolutely loyal to them. He only cared that Potter was walking about like he owned the place, when he most certainly did not.

Severus hated James' attitude towards the rules, and he couldn't believe that Dumbledore would allow James to get away with it along with his little friends. He couldn't believe that Potter made prefect. Severus swore it was only James' ability to hang on to a broomstick that got him the position. Just once, Severus wanted to get even with James Potter and put him in his place. That would make his entire stay in Hogwarts worthwhile.

A plan was hatching in Severus' mind. He had to find a weakness in the group. He immediately thought of Peter Pettigrew, but Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were always around him. Severus knew that neither Black nor Lupin would do anything against Potter. They were too loyal, especially Black. Frank Longbottom was a bit of a loner from time to time, but he wouldn't do anything against another Gryffindor, and he was the keeper on the Quidditch team. Severus' dark eyes rested on the red head next to Potter.

Evans. Severus knew that Evans didn't typically go with Potter and the rest of his little gang whenever there was something going on. There was something else that Severus noticed about the group, specifically Remus. Severus was always very observant. He noticed how often Lupin claimed he was ill, ever since the beginning. Severus wasn't completely sure, but he knew that there was something wrong with Lupin. Recently, it had clicked during a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. It made perfect sense now.

"What's going on in that mind of yours, Severus?" asked Lucius.

Severus' expression didn't change. "Just thinking. That's all," he replied as he gathered up his books.

*

School started again. It was hard to jump start everyone after such a relaxing holiday. The Marauders were still causing their usual mischief here and there. They made some very important modifications to the map. James and Sirius looked up spells to improve the map, but it was taking a long time.

They realized that even though the map was helpful in remembering where all the secret passages were located, they'd had one too many close calls with the faculty and staff. James suggested that the map should be improved to give warnings, but Sirius suggested it would be better if the map could tell them exactly where everyone was at any given time. 

After much argument, Sirius gave the map to James to modify. "I still don't understand why you don't want me doing it. I'm just as good as you are," said Sirius stubbornly. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do, but I'd rather do it myself," insisted James. "Besides, you have work to do in Arithmancy anyway."

"You have prefect duties," pointed out Sirius defensively.

"But, I don't do them," countered James.

"What's the big deal who does it anyway?" asked Peter. He and Remus were playing chess in the corner. He was losing.

"I think Padfoot is concerned about who might see it," replied Remus as his knight moved forward.

"Is that what you're worried about?" asked James to Sirius. "That someone will see it? There's more of a chance of someone seeing it here than in my room. I have a private room after all."

"That's not true. You have a roommate," said Sirius finally. "A roommate you've been telling things to."

"I haven't told Lucas anything," said James defensively. "You're jumping to conclusions."

Sirius' temper was rising. "How do we know that? You've probably told him everything. We don't know him," he said angrily.

"He doesn't know a bloody thing! I didn't say anything. Don't accuse me of being a traitor, Sirius!" shouted back James, angrily. Luckily, they were in one of the empty classrooms instead of the Gryffindor common room. He stood up, to fight.

Sirius did the same thing. It was alarming how much the two looked alike at that moment. They were like brothers. Remus stood up slowly. "Okay, now, now. Let's take it easy. There's no reason for you to fight. Come on. Stop," he said, attempting to pacify them.

Peter wasn't one to get into a conflict, so he sat there as quiet as a mouse. "I'm sure that James didn't tell anything to Lucas that he shouldn't have," continued Remus. "There's no reason to fight."

"I will not stand here and have you accuse me of doing anything wrong. I'm leaving!" said James in a loud voice as he placed the map in his Transfiguration book and slammed it shut. He went to the door and yanked it open. He walked out and slammed it shut behind him, stunning them.

As soon as he was out in the hall, he started walking over to his room. He had the map with him in his book. James knew he had to be the one to make the improvements on the map. He didn't have a choice because he knew that Sirius would get it right. Sirius would learn the truth about Lily. 

James stopped in the middle of the hall. He wanted to keep her safe. Suddenly, he felt very tired and with good reason. He was spinning around in circles it seemed. He was keeping up too many lies and too many stories. James regained his resolve. He started for his room again.

"How was your meeting?" asked Lily when he walked in. She smiled at him. She was working at her desk.

"Fine. Just fine," replied James, forgetting all his troubles.

He didn't even care that Sirius was mad at him. She was in the same Arithmancy class as Sirius. Even so, her mere presence made him feel better. James put the Transfiguration book on his desk. It was something that could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Post Author's Note: I had finals. Also I had writer's block. I can't stand this story anymore. I only want to finish it so that my head doesn't get bitten off. In the last chapter, I wrote that it would be one of the few Christmases that James and Lily will spend together because it's true. They will die. The time they have is very limited. With death, there is the feeling that there is never enough time with one's loved ones. Something I learned in one of my classes. 

I have found this story very frustrating. The only thing I can do is rush through this story, so I can finish it. Two more chapters to go after this. People can probably guess what will happen in the next chapter. I actually got an idea of how to end this thing. Let's see if I can pull it off. 

Go to kirikarin.livejournal.com for more info. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	14. Werewolf Trap

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 14: Werewolf Trap

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

The month of January seemed to fly by quickly. Sirius and James stopped fighting again, but Sirius was still sore. They put their differences aside for Remus' sake. The week of the full moon was fast approaching. Remus needed his friends to be united. 

Lily didn't ask anymore about Remus. She did talk to him from time to time during Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was fun, but at the same time a very valuable class to have. The professor talked about the threat of Voldemort from time to time, but he also taught them about regular things to look out for. 

Lily was more scared of Voldemort than most of the students. She was a Muggle born witch, so she knew that she was in more danger than anyone else. She didn't voice her concerns out loud for fear of making herself so obviously different from the others. She did know that almost everyone else was afraid of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The only people she noticed who were unconcerned were James, Sirius, and Remus. Peter was a different story.

Lily didn't know what to make of Peter. He seemed more like a tagalong than anything else. She sort of pitied him because Sirius and James had such strong personalities. Remus was more of a quiet observer, but his opinion was always valued. He was the one who got James and Sirius to stop fighting.

"That's all for today. Finish your essays on creatures of the night by next week," said the professor. "I'll see you all again next time." There were loads of nocturnal creatures that were explored in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Everyone was assigned a topic and no two students had the same topic. Lily's topic was werewolves.

They all walked out of the room. "I think I should go to the library. There's probably tons more stuff on werewolves there," said Lily as Frank walked next to her. 

"You don't need to go all out, Lucas. You always do that," said Frank.

"I don't think we need to go to the library," said Sirius with a slight smirk as he looked at James. "Don't over work yourself, Lucas."

"Don't be so cocky," muttered Remus as he kept his face neutral. 

"I'll talk to you guys later," said Lily as she went toward the library. 

"Yes, I'll see you later. Try not to work to hard," said James as he smiled for her. Sirius looked at him questioningly because he still had no idea who James' girlfriend really was. On top of that, the map was still in James' possession. He was putting the finishing touches on.

Little did they know that Severus Snape had spent more time observing them. He knew now that Lily would be the easiest one to approach. Lily was more trusting than the others. It was something that Severus could easily handle.

The only other person who was keeping an eye on things was Sirius Black. He realized that Severus was looking for a way to get him and his friends expelled. _We'll see about that._ Sirius thought to himself, already hatching a plan.

*

Lily started by getting a book on werewolves to help her write her essay. She wanted to do better than well in the class. She had just settled at a table when Severus Snape sat down. He took the seat next to her. She looked up and noticed that there were other empty tables. That was odd. No Gryffindor nor Slytherin sat next to each other or even at the same table unless forced. 

"What do you want, Snape?" asked Lily suspiciously.

"Is there a crime against a Slytherin talking to a Gryffindor, Evans?" asked Severus with a shrug. 

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm very busy here, Snape. I need to do well on this essay," she answered. "Leave me alone and let me work."

Severus didn't look perturbed at all by Lily's hostility. "What are you working on?" he asked.

"None of your business," muttered Lily.

Severus picked up one of the books on the table and read the cover out loud, "_Lycanthrope: A Study of Werewolves._" Lily grabbed the book from him. "So, you're doing that essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I do know quite a bit about that."

"I'm sure you do," said Lily through her teeth. "So does everyone else in your house."

"That is an exaggeration, Evans," said Severus. "Besides, you've already written that first part of your essay wrong."

Lily glared at him. "What the Hell are you talking about Snape?" Severus opened the book that was previously in his hands, skimmed it, and turned it for her to look at. He put his finger on the third sentence of the essay. "You see you wrote that wrong. The snout of a werewolf is wider than than a regular wolf."

Lily looked down and read what she had written. She looked at the page that Severus had opened. Rather than admit to her mistake, she opened another book and looked it up. She read it and opened another. She sighed. "Okay, you're right," she admitted begrudgingly as she corrected her mistake.

Severus smirked at her. He looked at the book that he had opened and read it again. There was no denying how much Severus knew about the Dark Arts. "Ahem," said Lily, looking at him expectantly.

"What?"

"I need that book," said Lily.

"Evans, I've been thinking," started Severus.

"There's a surprise," said Lily sarcastically as she grabbed the book out of his hands. "Go away," she said more forcefully.

"Evans, you know James Potter pretty well, but I've noticed that you don't hang out with his other little friends, do you?" said Severus as he folded his hands in front of him.

Lily looked at him again. "Well, they've been friends since the first year. Sirius and James were best friends even before Hogwarts. It's not a problem. I don't really want to hang out with them anyway."

"Is that so, Evans? You and Potter are so close, yet he keeps you from being around him. I see how the two of you are like around each other," said Severus as he moved closer to her. Lily froze up. "Look, I don't care what Potter and you are really doing in your room. I am not against that sort of thing. However, I think that the teachers might care, Evans. Neither you nor Potter want to get expelled, do you? The wizards are just as intolerant of that sort of thing as the Muggles are."

Lily realized what he was getting at. _He thinks that James and I are gay. That's pretty funny. Or he could know I'm a girl._ She didn't really want to think about what he really thought. "Snape, you're jumping to conclusions," she told him finally.

"Am I? Just the same, Potter likes to keep his little secrets from you, doesn't he? It seems like you trust him more than he trusts you, Evans."

"I trust him. Besides, it's none of my business."

"No, of course not. I'm just saying," said Severus innocently. "I suppose you're not as close as I thought. Sorry. I take back anything I said."

Lily watched him stand up. "See you around, Evans," he said as he walked away with a smirk on his face. She didn't watch him leave. Instead, she looked at the paper she had been trying to write, wondering if he was right about James. 

She closed all her books. She couldn't concentrate that well. Her eyes traveled to her essay. She reread it again and corrected her mistakes. After that she just stared into space.

*

Sirius Black was sitting in the Gryffindor common room reading his Transfiguration book. He was worried about a few things. First, James still had the map in his possession. They were going to need it soon as the full moon approached. Second, Snape was lingering around, looking for anything that would get them expelled. Many times Sirius had underestimated the greasy haired git over the years, but this was the only time he was actually worried that Snape would do something. It had do with the fact that James was the weak link in the group.

"Stop brooding, Padfoot," said Remus as he looked up from his book. He was reading for fun like he always did.

"We need him to finish work on that map. I bet he told him everything about you. Why the Hell aren't you mad?" asked Sirius without looking up from his book.

"Because I don't think Lucas knows anything," said Remus. "I mean he hasn't given any indication. And James wouldn't do that. You have to have a little more faith in him."

"There's something going on between them. I don't know what though," said Sirius. 

"I agree, but we'll have to wait and see," said Remus. "I think you're jealous. Though I don't know why."

"I am not."

"You're like a five-year-old. You're probably thinking that you're being replaced."

"Shut up."

Peter came in just then. He was nearly out of breath as he staggered over to them. "Snape. Snape." He was gasping for air.

"That's the other problem. What about Snape?" asked Sirius.

"He's up to something. I was just walking back from the kitchens when I saw him. He was coming out of the library. I looked inside and only Lucas was in there," managed Peter. He looked extremely worried as he switched back and forth between Remus' and Sirius' calm faces. It made him panic even more. "He could get us into trouble!" he exclaimed.

"Stop panicking," said Remus, turning a page in his book without looking up. 

"What's new? Snape is always doing that," said Sirius. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"But--" started Peter.

"Don't do anything rash, Padfoot," said Remus warningly. 

"I won't do anything drastic, Moony," reassured Sirius. "I was just thinking of rewarding his hard work that's all."

Remus lowered his book and looked straight at Sirius. He didn't like his tone. "What are you thinking about doing to him, Padfoot?"

"Nothing. Honest. I'm just sick and tired of him always watching us. He's just itching for us to do something wrong and get us expelled. I'm only thinking of a preemptive strike. Just a little one. It will teach him a lesson. Trust me."

Remus shifted uncomfortably, while Peter looked back and forth between them again. If they were going to fight, it was going to be hard for him to pick him a side. It would be hard because Sirius and Remus were equally matched. Peter went with them because James was alone. He was always good at picking sides. It kept the bullies away.

"Sirius, just don't do anything stupid," said Remus with a sigh.

*

Over the next few days, Lily didn't talk much with James. He was starting to wonder what was wrong, but he didn't have time to ask. The full moon was the next day, so he had to work on the map and do the modifications. He also had to come up with something to tell the other guys because he wasn't taking it with him. James realized that he was going to have to ask Lily, if it was all right that the others knew that she was really a girl.

"Lily, I need to talk to you," James told her.

"What about?" she asked as she worked on her werewolf essay again. She had left it alone ever since that day at the library.

"About Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Look, I know that we agreed that I wouldn't say anything to them about this whole thing, but I think we can trust them," he said.

Lily looked up from her essay. "You can't just do that. I don't know them," she said after an awkward silence.

James' brow furrowed. "Look, I could have just told them. I asked you first," he said angrily. "I know them. We can trust them."

"Why is it that you can trust them, when you can't trust me? I don't know anything about them really. And you're expecting me just to agree just because you suddenly think it's a good idea. Too many people around here already know. The more people who know, the more there's a chance someone will let it slip!"

"They won't say anything!" shouted James. "I know them! None of them would tell!"

"How do you know that? You keep saying that you want us to have an honest relationship, but you won't tell me anything about yourself!"

"Is this about Remus again?!" demanded James.

"No. This is about you. You don't want to tell me anything. Like, why are you always gone from sundown to dawn every month? What's that paper you've been working on?! You don't tell me anything! On top of that, you suddenly want to tell them about my secret without a good enough reason!"

"I only want to tell them to protect you. If they find out without any kind of warning, you'll be in bigger trouble. You could get expelled!"

Lily started laughing as she stood up. She wasn't very tall. James towered over her by so many inches. "I never thought I'd live to say this, but Severus Snape might actually be right. You keep talking about trust, but I have to be the one to give all, while you give nothing."

"When did you talk to Severus Snape? Why were you talking to him? Answer me," demanded James.

"I don't have to answer any of your questions because you don't answer mine," said Lily coldly as she gathered up her things.

"Where are you going?"

"To the library. You can work alone," answered Lily as she yanked the door open and left.

James stood there stunned for a moment before reacting. "URGH!" he exclaimed because words had failed him. "I was only trying to protect you," he muttered as he went to the map. His thoughts were spinning as he thought about Snape talking to her. What did that greasy haired git tell her? When did they talk? James pulled up the map. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

The map appeared instantaneously. There were more points now that labeled everyone in the school. He looked and saw the dot labeled "Lily Evans" moving towards the library. James looked at the three dots in Gryffindor Tower. Then, he turned his attention to Severus Snape, who was in the Slytherin common room.

James put a special charm on the map so that it not only labeled where people were in the school, but also so that it would show their true identities. He put it there on purpose, even though it was a complex spell. If Lily was hiding her identity, who knew who else was doing that.

There came a knock at the door. James wiped the map clean before standing up to answer the door. It was Sirius. "What's up?" asked James.

"Are you coming with us tomorrow night?" asked Sirius.

"Of course," replied James. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you weren't there the last time," Sirius reminded him.

"I was at the Pomfrey's," said James. "Why don't you come in?" Sirius walked in and noticed that Lily wasn't there. 

"Where'd he go?" asked Sirius.

"To the library. I got on his nerves," replied James. "He's always studying at the library anyway."

"Did you finish working on the map yet?" asked Sirius.

"I just need to put some finishing touches on it," answered James. 

"Oh. Just bring it with you to the usual place. I have to take care of something before then," said Sirius as he went to the door to leave.

James didn't like the way Sirus was acting. He was acting like a cat ready to swallow a cornered mouse. "What are you up to?" he asked him.

"Tell me what you're up to, then I'll tell you," replied Sirius. James opened his mouth, then closed it. "I thought so. So, don't bother asking," finished Sirius. "Later."

James sat back down on his bed as soon Sirius was gone. _How did things become like this? I just want everything to work out. What did I do to deserve this? Has all the trouble I've caused caught up with me? Great. At this rate, no one will be talking to me._ These thoughts ran through his head before he decided to turn in early.

*

The next morning, Sirius was all set to put his plan into action. He didn't bother telling anyone. He would have normally told James about them, but Sirius didn't want him babbling to Lily. Sirius watched as Snape spied on them. He had a feeling that Snape had kept track of the past few months. Sirius decided that it was the perfect time to play his trick.

The plan was very simple. That was the genius of it. Sirius would allow Snape to follow them. He knew that Snape knew that he and James weren't exactly on speaking terms. Therefore, Sirius wouldn't have James' Invisibility Cloak.

Sirius didn't tell Remus and Peter what he was really up to. He knew that Remus would immediately disapprove of his plan. Remus would have accused Sirius of exploiting him. He wouldn't be wrong. Sirius didn't tell Peter because he would most likely disapprove of the plan. He knew that Peter would be the first one outside with Remus. Peter would have sensed Snape coming and gotten Remus to move out of the way. 

Lily was still angry at James and wasn't talking to him. It bothered him to no end. And he couldn't just ask her in front of everyone why she was talking to Snape before. She returned to their room very late and got up early. She had gone to breakfast without him. Every once in a while, James would look over at the Slytherin table to find Snape smirking at him. Nothing would have made him more happy than to lunge across and strangle Snape until the smirk was gone.

There was another reason why Lily had returned to her room late. She had completed her essay on werewolves and needed to edit it. The more she read it the more she realized something. All of the things that labeled a werewolf could describe Remus Lupin who was already looking rather ill. A more accurate word would have been anxious. Lily had reread the essay several times over. 

It explained why Remus had wanted the topic in class. It wasn't because he was a werewolf, but he didn't want another person figuring out that he was. That was the big secret that James was hiding from her. It was a secret she would have gladly kept for both of them. 

Remus noticed how she looked at him from time to time during the breakfast. He wondered if she had figured it out yet, but he couldn't be sure. There was a lot of tension in the air. Time was up, so everyone had to get going to class. 

Lily picked up all her things and went ahead of James again. He was about to follow her, but Sirius had stopped him to ask about the map. Peter stayed behind with them. Remus took off after Lily. "Hey, Lucas," called Remus.

Lily stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Oh, Remus. I thought you were James," she said.

"He's been getting on your nerves, hasn't he?" said Remus with a slight smile. There was a definite twinkle in his eyes. _I don't care if he's a werewolf. He's a nice human being_. Lily thought suddenly. "How did your essay go?" he asked.

"Fine. I just finished it last night. It's all edited and ready to turn in," replied Lily. 

"Oh, did you learn anything interesting? Do you need any help anyway?" asked Remus.

"Yes. It was," replied Lily, acting as if she didn't know anything at all. Remus gave her a smile, but she was sure it was a smile of relief. She decided that her telling him she knew was the last thing he needed to worry about, especially with the full moon being that evening. "Oh, yeah, James is going to join you guys for the study session. I don't need any help on my essay."

Remus nodded as the other Marauders caught up with them. "Let's go to class," said James. "We can't be late. After all, it wouldn't look good for a prefect." Everyone laughed.

*

Much later in the afternoon, James and Lily were in their room doing their homework. They decided not to have dinner because James had grabbed something from the kitchens earlier. Every full moon he would do that to avoid being late for Remus. Lily decided it was better to say something rather than continue being mad at him. "I understand why you couldn't tell me anything," she admitted.

"What?" asked James, sitting at his desk with his back to her.

"About Remus," replied Lily. "I figured out what was wrong with him when I was editing my essay."

"Oh? You did?" asked James, hiding his nervousness.

"You can tell them the truth about me, if you want. The four of you have proven that you can keep a secret," said Lily. "I just don't have the energy to be mad at you anymore. I'm sorry."

James turned around. His features had softened. He stood up and went to her bed where she was doing her homework. "I knew you'd figure it out sooner. You see Sirius, Peter, and I have to help him every month. But we don't mind. We have a lot of fun doing it."

"I understand," said Lily with a smile. "I just don't like sitting here and waiting when you went out like that. I had no idea what you were doing. I was worried."

James pulled her into his arms. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, too. Okay, I'll show you what I've been working on. I'm sure that the guys won't mind. Besides, I want you to see it first."

"What?" asked Lily. He pulled her up and lead her to his desk. "That's the scrap of parchment you've been working on, but there's nothing written on it."

James pointed his wand at it and said, "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._" The map appeared. Lily's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "That was what Sirius and I came up with. I added the new feature myself. Look closely."

Lily's green eyes surveyed the map very carefully. Her eyes widened a bit more when she saw her name on the map next to James'. "This all the people in the castle. Everyone on the grounds. This is brilliant, but James' my real name is on the map."

"I made it that way. I only have to finish labeling the name of the map on it. That's all," said James. "I thought it would be useful to put a charm on the map that would be able to tell the true identity of a person, even if they take Poly Juice Potion."

"That's incredible, so that's why you wanted to tell the others about my secret, so that they wouldn't be so surprised," said Lily. James nodded. She smiled at him as she looked outside. The sun was beginning to set. "Oh no, you'd better get going. Remus is going to need you. Wait...just one more thing I don't get. How can you possibly help him? He'll attack you."

James smiled. "Well, you see..." He stopped suddenly.

"See what?" asked Lily. "What's wrong, James?" She saw his eyes on the map. Something had caught his eye. She followed his line of vision and realized what it was. "Oh, no," she whispered. "Go. Stop him."

James nodded and opened his trunk. He pulled out his cloak. "I have to stop Snape before he gets Sirius into trouble," he said as he put on the cloak. Only his head was visible. Lily was about to mention that she had no idea that he had an Invisibility Cloak, but he kissed her before putting on the hood and leaving. He knew where they were going.

*

"You guys go on ahead. I'll go and get James. We'll meet you at the Whomping Willow," said Sirius as they snuck out of the tower. 

"All right, but hurry up," said Peter anxiously. There was no way his small Animagus form could keep Remus in control. He followed him all the way to Madame Pomfrey's. Every month, Madame Pomfrey would lead Remus to the Whomping Willow just before his transformation. Peter would follow along in his rat form during that time.

"Don't worry. We'll be right there," Sirius assured him. He waited until Remus and Peter left before going out another way. He wasn't going anywhere near James' room. Instead, he knew that Snape would be in Great Hall having dinner. All he had to do was walk in, make his presence known, and walk out quickly.

Sirius walked and grabbed some bread to make it look like he was hungry. Snape immediately noticed and whispered something into Malfoy's ear. They both kept an eye on Sirius as he stopped to chat with his other housemates before leaving. 

When he was gone for about a minute, Snape stood up slowly. He said out loud that he had forgotten to do something. He walked out and saw that Sirius was walking down a corridor. He stealthy followed him. Snape had no idea what he was walking towards.

Sirius was walking fast, but not too fast. He paced himself very carefully because it was a matter of timing. He had to keep his face straight as he walked along. _Just a little bit more. He's still behind me._

Snape should have realized that it was too easy, but after five years of trying to catch the Marauders, he didn't care. After all the things that the four of them had done to him, especially James and Sirius, they deserved to get expelled. These were the thoughts that consumed him as he continued down the corridor. There was no way he was going to lose him.

_Just a little bit more, you stupid git._ Sirius thought as he watched Snape. It was just as easy as Sirius had predicted. Snape was walking right into his little trap.

Sirius kept walking until he had led Snape to the Whomping Willow. He picked up a stick. He was going to push the knot to freeze the tree. Snape came up from behind him. "What are you doing, Black?"

"Nothing," said Sirius, displaying some surprise in his voice. "Why don't we go back inside?"

"Where are Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew? There are rules that expressly forbid us from going near this tree," said Snape. 

"I wasn't doing anything. Let's go back inside," insisted Sirius. He gripped the stick in his hand. Snape noticed and grabbed it. "What are you going to do with this?"

"Nothing."

"Then why do you have it? You know we can go back inside and explain to the Headmaster."

Sirius grimace, or pretended to. He sighed and handed the stick to Snape. "Remus went in there and went down the tunnel. Do you see that knot over there? All you have to do is press it and it will freeze the tree."

Snape did exactly what he told him. He pressed the knot and the tree completely froze. "Well, you weren't lying after all, Black." He stepped into the tree. Sirius went along with him. 

*

James was running as fast as he could from his room to the usual corridor where he and the others exited the school to go to the Whomping Willow. He cursed himself for not knowing what Sirius was up to. He should have been able to stop him. If Severus Snape got killed, Sirius wouldn't be the only one in trouble. Remus would be as well. James knew that Remus wouldn't want to live with the guilt of killing someone in his werewolf state.

He went through the Whomping Willow quickly and ran as fast as he could. He was only minutes behind Sirius and Snape.

The hood of the cloak was almost slipping off James' head, but that was the less of his problems at this point. He kept going until he got to the final corridor. James saw Sirius in his dog form sitting and waiting. He must have transformed when Snape was distracted. James pulled off his cloak. He felt like saying something to Sirius, but he chose not to. He surprised Sirius when he took off the cloak. He threw it next to him and kept going. 

"Snape! Stop!" shouted James as he pulled Snape back away from the tree. "You can't go in there! You're going to get killed! There's a werewolf in there!"

"A werewolf! There's been a werewolf in this school the whole time!" growled Snape as he wrestled out of James' grip. "You knew about it, too, Potter?" Snape glared at him. "You're going to get expelled for this. I don't know what was going on over there, but you can kiss this school goodbye, Potter," snarled Snape as he took off running.

James watched Snape run for the castle. There were two choices: he could go and help his friends by helping control Remus or go and stop Snape. James grabbed his cloak, but didn't put it on. He took of running in the same direction towards that Snape had gone. He knew where he was going to go. He could only glance at Sirius as he left.

James followed his hitch and found himself going down another corridor. This time it led to a hall with a stone gargoyle. It moved out of his way. It seemed that someone was expecting him. There were stairs leading somewhere, which James stepped on. They moved him a room he had been to before. Dumbledore's office. He stepped inside.

He saw Severus Snape standing in front of the Headmaster's desk. Albus Dumbledore looked rather calm as he looked at James. "I was wondering when you would join us, James. Severus had been telling me about a werewolf. Perhaps, you would like to explain what happened."

Severus didn't really want James to have a say, so he went on, "He wasn't there. Only showed up at the last minute. I was following--"

Professor Dumbledore held his hand up and Snape quieted. "I asked that James explain himself, not you, Severus. You have already had your say."

"Did he tell you where Sirius went?" asked James. Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "Then, perhaps, Sn--I mean Severus, might be wrong."

"You were the one who came out of no where!" roared Severus. "And I know that werewolf is Lupin!"

Professor Dumbledore looked at them thoughtfully. "First of all, Severus, since you found out about the werewolf, I will tell you the truth. However, Remus has just as much right to study here as you do. Nothing really happened, except for the fact that you were out on the grounds. If James hadn't come, you would have been attacked by Remus. James saved your life."

Severus' jaw dropped and he went pale. "_Saved my life?!"_ he said in a higher voice.

"Furthermore, you are forbidden from telling anyone about Remus Lupin," said the Headmaster. "Now, you can go back to the Slytherin common room."

Severus opened his mouth, but stopped from speaking. He walked to the doorway of the office and glared at James one last time before he left.

"I just hope I didn't do anything wrong by saving him," said James to fill in the awkward silence.

"You saved his life. That puts him in your debt. You two now have a special bond," said Professor Dumbledore. "He may return the favor someday."

"Favors from him, I don't need," snorted James. "He doesn't have to do anything."

"Tell me how are things with you," said Professor Dumbledore.

"Everything is fine," said James.

Professor Dumbledore smiled at him as his eyes twinkled. "Then, you should go and get some rest." James nodded and left. He shook his head as he thought about how different James became when he fell in love.

* * *

Post Author's Note: I heard the little sound sample of the fifth book. I found it very interesting. I'm guessing it's from the first part of the book. Peter gets some "on-screen" action here. I thought it would be interesting to write how James saved Severus' life. Don't think that Sirius isn't capable of being that conniving or devious. This was a longer chapter than I had planned before. Good for me. The next part will be the last part. I just wanted to get this fic done before the 21st. I had to before the fifth book came. ^_^ 

Go to kirikarin.livejournal.com for more info. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


	15. Masquerade

Lily in Full Blossom

Chapter 15: Masquerade

Pre-Author's Notes: This fic is based on the manga, _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ also known as _ For You in Full Blossom_. I had to change some elements from the Harry Potter story to make it work, so live with it. Yes, I am aware that some of the facts from the Harry Potter series is off, but I had to change it for the story. ^^ 

* * *

It took a while before everything settled down after the full moon. Remus emerged from it, not knowing what had truly happened until Sirius explained to him. He apologized, but Remus wasn't talking to him. Sirius wasn't talking to James because he told Snape what was happening. Peter was torn. 

James and Lily talked about what had happened. She felt bad about the whole thing. James called Sirius stupid, but Lily quickly told him that he wasn't. She actually defended Sirius in the argument. James got annoyed with her and left to go and get some fresh air. 

It was that same day that Arabella Figg dropped by for a visit. They didn't get to talk to each other that often, even though they saw each other all the time in the Great Hall. Lily was extremely surprised to see her. "Bella! It's good to see you like this," exclaimed Lily.

"May I come in?" asked Arabella.

Lily opened the door wider. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

"Actually, I just came from Professor Dumbledore's office. I thought it would be great this year if there was a ball on Valentine's Day," said Arabella.

"Really?" asked Lily as her eyes widened. "I don't believe it. And he approved?"

"Yes," said Arabella happily as she nodded and smiled. "It's going to be a lot of fun, Lily. We can get dresses and do our hair, and--"

Lily interrupted her, "But, I can't do any of those things. No one knows I'm really a girl, Bella." She bit her lip. "I guess I should get some boy dress robes."

"No, there's no need to. Didn't I tell you?" said Arabella with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Tell me what?" 

"It's a masquerade. Everyone has to wear a costume," said Arabella. "Don't tell me you didn't have any faith in me. I thought of that. Besides, it would be really cute to dress you up as a girl. I mean almost every boy around here already thinks you look like a girl."

"So, I get to go as a girl? That's wonderful!" exclaimed Lily, catching Arabella's excitement. "What should I wear?"

"Well, you have to wear something that goes with your eyes," said Arabella thoughtfully. "I know what we're going to do. We dress you up without telling anyone, even James. Let's see what everyone thinks." 

"Yes, that would be a good idea," said Lily thoughtfully. They planned what they were going to do for the ball. More importantly, what Lily was going to wear.

*

As soon as the masquerade ball was announced, everyone was excited. Professor Dumbledore put the Head Boy and Head Girl in charge of planning the event. In turn, orders were passed down to the prefects of each house, and they passed down orders to others.

The ball was enough to get James and Sirius working together. Lily decided that she would rather help Arabella, so that they could plan her costume. The time they spent together led to some interesting rumors. People started thinking that Arabella was dating "Lucas."

"Hey, Lucas, how did you get Arabella Figg to go out with you?" asked Frank one morning.

"Huh?" asked Lily. 

"Yeah, Arabella Figg is the most popular girl in Ravenclaw. How did you pull it off?" asked Sirius. He wasn't so annoyed with Lily anymore because she wasn't spending as much time with James over the past few days. He also sort of admired Lily for getting Arabella to "go out with" her.

"Um...we're not dating. We're just friends," insisted Lily.

James sat there in silent amusement because he knew something that almost everyone else didn't know. He and Lily talked about the ball, but she didn't talk about her costume. She told him it was something she wanted to do with Arabella. James agreed, even though he wanted her as his date. This made him think that she was up to something. 

The four Marauders decided to go together as a group as well. Sirius wanted to get a date, but James didn't want to . He didn't bother to explain to Sirius; he enjoyed withholding the information from him. Remus could have easily gotten a date, but he agreed. Peter was happy with this arrangement because it took off the pressure for him. 

Dates weren't mandatory for the dance, only appropriate costumes. It was a Valentine's Day dance, so there were going to be loads of couples. However, there were a good amount of groups of friends coming to the ball. Everyone talked about what they were going to wear, even some of the teachers were going to attend.

Arabella would be just leaving the room whenever James came back. "What did you guys talk about?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Just more stuff about the dance," replied Lily. "I'm so excited. It's only a week away, but I have to go to Hogsmeade to get my costume."

"What are you wearing?" asked James. He and the rest of the Marauders decided to dress up like those characters from the Muggle book, _The Three Musketeers _by Alexander Dumas. Remus had suggested it because it was one of his favorite books. James, Sirius, and Remus were going as Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. Peter was going as D'Artagnan. 

"It's a surprise," replied Lily with a smile. It resembled the Cheshire Cat's smile. "We couldn't have gone together without everyone getting suspicious."

"Yeah, I suppose it's better that you have your 'girlfriend.' Sirius is accusing me of having an imaginary girlfriend," said James with a chuckle. "Just save a dance for me, okay?"

"You can have all the dances you want," said Lily. 

"So, what's your costume?" asked James again. Lily rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to her homework.

*

Valentine's Day rolled around and everyone was happy, even those who didn't have anyone special. There were singing valentines, blooming flowers, and chocolates. The students were getting ready early in the morning because a lot of them still had to put the finishing touches on their costumes.

The Marauders had something planned for the dance, but they were very careful not to say anything to anyone. Everything was so busy that even Snape wasn't keeping his eye on them. He didn't really have a costume, but he was dressing in a cloak and a mask. He didn't really give any effort.

James found himself kicked out of his own room, so he had to dress in Sirius, Remus, and Peter's room. He told them that Lily wanted to be with Arabella, which caused a lot of attention from the guys. "So, why didn't you go with your girlfriend?" asked Sirius with a snicker.

James laughed along with him. "My girlfriend will be there. I'll meet her there," he said.

Sirius stopped laughing. "Hey! That's not fair. No one said anything about meeting dates there. Well, it's not too late for me to arrange--"

"No," said Remus. "You can't."

"You can't stop me," retorted Sirius. 

"But, you guys aren't suppose to get dates," wailed Peter. "I--I mean--"

"Don't worry about it, Wormtail. She's going with her friend to the dance, so it's not really a date. I'll just be seeing her there. So, the no date clause is still in effect," said James. "No date, Padfoot. Besides, you're supposed to listen to everything, Moony tells you. You're still in trouble."

Sirius glanced at Remus. He had been on his best behavior since the night of the full moon. Remus wasn't talking to Sirius unless necessary. However, it wasn't too bad because Sirius was expecting worse from James. James didn't say anything about the incident, but Sirius could feel the disappointment from him. At least they were talking. Sirius was still wondering what was really going on with James. Who was this mysterious girlfriend?

"Let's make sure that everything is prepared for tonight," said James. The Marauders nodded in agreement.

*

The evening of the ball was one that many students would remember. It would go down in Hogwarts history. The Marauders were already dressed up in their costumes. James looked for Lily, but he couldn't find her because she hadn't arrived yet. 

The dance started without Lily or Arabella. There was a lot of things going, while James kept looking for her. Suddenly, everyone was quiet because a couple had entered the room.

The boy was dressed in an old Victorian suit. It was burgundy with cream trim. His collar was high. His hair was tied in the back. He wore shiny, black boots up to his thighs. His slacks were cream colored. He had dark hair. 

The girl standing next to him wore an emerald green dress. It had a corset in the front. She had red hair that was piled on the top of her head in an upswept do, revealing her beautiful swan like neck. She had emerald green eyes. She wore white gloves.

Both were the same height and wearing black masks. They were a beautiful couple. The rest of the students were flabbergasted by the sight of them. They were stunning. They both smiled. 

"Who are those two?"

"I have no idea."

"They're so pretty."

The girls sighed at the boy, while the other the boys couldn't take their eyes off the girl. They went to the dance floor. The music started to play. They danced very well, but there was something odd about the way they were dancing. It seemed rehearsed because the boy looked as if he had just learned. Rather, "he" had just learned how to lead.

James watched them with his mouth slightly opened. He immediately recognized the girl, but her hair wasn't short like it normally was. It seemed as if they had put a spell to grow out her hair before the dance. She looked beautiful in her dress. The music stopped. James fought his way through the crowd to find Lily in it.

He found her surrounded by the boys. "Which house are you from?" asked one of them.

"Judging by the green, Slytherin," said one of them.

Lily shook her head. "No, don't you see her eyes are green. The dress matches her eyes," said another.

"Excuse me," said James, causing all of them to stop. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes," whispered Lily as she took his hand. They went to the floor, causing even more of a scene than Lily and Arabella before them. The moment they started dancing, the world seemed to dissolve. The music started low as they moved.

"What do you think?" asked Lily in a whisper.

"You look beautiful," whispered James. He held her closer as the rest of the students started dancing again. He could smell her scent; it was lilac mixed with something else. "So, do I get the rest of the dances or what?"

"I said you could get as many as you want," whispered Lily. 

They continued to dance as the rest of the Marauders came up to see them. Sirius and Remus watched them. Peter watched them with his jaw opened. "Who is that?" he squeaked.

"I have no idea, but that might be the girlfriend, he's been talking about," said Sirius. "And a red head, too."

"But, she came in with someone else," said Remus.

James continued to dance with her. He saw Arabella smiling at them. She was dressed like a boy, so almost every girl was working up the courage to dance with her, but she was trying to be nice. Some of the girls said that her "date" had already started dancing with someone else anyway. However, Arabella wouldn't dance with any of them.

As the song came to a close, James leaned down and kissed Lily in front of everyone. This surprised the Marauders the most.

Frank Longbottom was looking for Lily, so he asked out loud, "Where's Lucas Evans? I thought he'd be going here with Arabella Figg? Where are they?"

Remus looked at him. "They should be around here somewhere," he said. His eyes fell on Arabella who was keeping her female admirers at bay. His eyes widened as he glanced at Sirius. He was looking at the couple on the dance floor. Remus' eyes now fell on the red headed girl who was dancing with James. "Sirius," he hissed in a whisper, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves.

"I should have gotten a date," said Sirius.

"No, we have to talk," whispered Remus. 

"What? Can't it wait, Remus?" whined Sirius. "Look, I just want to dance."

"It's about James' girlfriend," said Remus. This was more than enough to perk Sirius' interests up. "It's that girl, isn't it?" he said.

"It's more than that. Come with me," said Remus. He and Sirius walked out of the party to find a quieter place to talk. Severus Snape was now paying attention, so he followed them. He had a feeling they were up to something. He followed them until they were in the courtyard. They kept going until they were away from all the couples.

"What is it?" asked Sirius. "What about James' girlfriend?"

"Lucas Evans. Didn't you notice? The girl's got red hair just like hers. There's no other person Hogwarts with that shade," said Remus.

Sirius chuckled at him, "Don't tell me you've memorize every girl's hair color here?"

"That's not the point," said Remus hotly. "I think that girl _is _Lucas Evans. She's even got the same height and build."

"Wait...you mean that girl isn't a girl at all, but a boy dressed up as a girl? Does James know?" asked Sirius.

"I think he does. But I think you're a little mixed up. Evans isn't a boy at all. She's been a girl the entire time," said Remus. "In fact, the boy that was with her was Arabella Figg. I'm positive of it."

"But, if James knew all along--wait, if she's been masquerading as a boy and if the teachers find out...she could be expelled," said Sirius. "We've got to do something."

"I know what I'm going to do, Black," said Severus Snape coldly as he stepped out of the shadows, causing the pair to whirl on them. "So, there's a lot of secrets in Gryffindor House. There's a werewolf." Remus visible stiffened, while Sirius glared at him. "And now there's a girl who's been lying to almost the entire school for months."

"You're not going to do anything," snarled Sirius.

"You can't stop me. They're already keeping an eye on you, Black. I don't think that Dumbledore believed Potter when he covered for you. And now, I'm going to tell everyone that you knew about his little girlfriend. The slut's been living--"

"_Mobilicorpus!_" shouted Remus as he quickly drew his wand. Severus found himself bound in invisible strings. "Sorry, Snape, but I haven't got a choice. Lucas would have already found out that I was a werewolf because of his--I mean her--report. Thus far, she hasn't said anything about it. So, I can't let you expose her like this."

Severus landed in a heap. His arms were bound up and he was struggling to free himself. He couldn't quite reach his wand. His mask had come off in his struggle.

"Untie me!" roared Severus. "The whole lot of you will be expelled!"

"Shut it, you git!" shouted Sirius. "I'm tired of you always trying to get us expelled."

"You won't stop me from telling the truth," said Severus angrily. 

"Want to bet?" asked Sirius as he drew out his wand. "I can make you forget the whole thing. All I need to do is use a memory charm on you."

"Enough," said a voice from behind them. "You have done enough to each other."

The boys looked at the source of the voice. It was Professor Dumbledore.

*

James and Lily were having the time of their lives. The world didn't seem to matter at all. Lily really did feel like Cinderella at the ball. Arabella was having just as much fun with the girls. She always thought that she would make a very handsome boy. 

"Are you going to cut your hair when this is over?" asked James.

"Probably," answered Lily. 

"I wish you wouldn't. It looks better longer," he told her. She turned a little red. She spotted Professor McGonagall talking to Professor Dumbledore. She also noticed that Remus and Sirius were standing with Severus. All three looked extremely serious.

"What's going on over there?" asked Lily. "Behind you."

James turned around. He saw what was happening. "I'm not sure. We were supposed to play this prank. Well, it's not really a prank."

"What did you plan?" asked Lily, quite exasperated at him.

"You'll see," replied James.

Professor Dumbledore raised his arms to quiet everything down. "It has come to my attention that there has been something going on for quite some time. I think it's time we all remove our masks."

People started to take off their masks. The announcement only made Lily put her hands on her mask. James made no move to remove his, neither did Arabella. Sirius and Remus had already removed their masks when they were in the courtyard.

Dumbledore's eyes fell on James and Lily. James reluctantly took off his mask. "And you, too, Miss Evans."

Miss Evans.

This made Lily freeze. She stared at everyone around her. There came a murmur from the crowd. Lily stared at Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look angry. His eyes were still twinkling. She sighed. As she made a move to remove her mask. James' hands stopped her.

"Do not worry, Mister Potter," said Professor Dumbledore.

James didn't remove his hands. He looked at her. His eyes asked a question, which she nodded to as an answer. He was the one who slowly took off her mask. People stopped murmuring for a moment, only to gasp.

The murmurs grew louder. Lily felt like her face was on fire, as she could see James' was. The mask was still in James' hand, but with his other hand he grabbed hers. James looked towards Sirius and Remus. They kind of gave him a nod to show that they had figured it out before everyone else did. 

The attention was distracted from them by something most unusual. There came a loud noise that stopped all the murmurs again. It was the signal of the prank that the Marauders had set up. The lights flickered on and off. Professor Dumbledore looked slightly amused at this. 

It seemed that Peter had gone into action without anyone having to tell him to. James, Sirius, and Remus had gotten distracted. But, the prank wasn't anything major. It had been James' idea. In fact, some would argue that it wasn't a prank at all. 

A team of fairies flew in with streams of red and white crepe paper. They circled around everyone. The teachers had no idea what to make of it. They dove into the crowd, which made people scramble. James didn't let go of Lily's hand as she mouthed the words, "You did this, didn't you?" James gave her a nod as the fairies took another dive.

Oddly enough, Professor Dumbledore didn't make the teachers do anything. He was laughing as he watched. The fairies weren't doing anything harmful. This was a night that many would definitely remember.

*

The next day, Lily was summoned to Professor Dumbledore's to discuss what had happened. She had to tell him pretty much everything. He listened to everything without interruption. When she was done, Lily stood there awaiting her fate.

"Miss Evans, I must say I am impressed that you were able to get away with it for as long as you did. I, myself, didn't realize you were a girl for some weeks since after arrived," said Professor Dumbledore. "It was remarkable that you were able to help James Potter."

"What?" asked Lily, utterly confused.

"James will have a wonderful future. It was just that he lacked direction. He needed someone to guide him. He also needed someone he respected," said Professor Dumbledore. "At first, I thought he had changed for you, but in reality, he proved that he was changing for himself."

"Are you going to kick me out of Hogwarts? Are you going to tell my parents what I've done?" asked Lily.

Professor Dumbledore pursed his lips as he looked at her. "No, you will not be kicked out of Hogwarts. You are too exceptional a witch for me to do that. You have some of the highest scores in your year. As for your parents, you will have to tell them yourself. There is the issue of you living with James Potter. I'm afraid that school standards will not allow for it, now that everyone knows. Therefore, you will have to move to the girls' dorms."

Lily nodded. She had no idea what was worse: telling her parents the truth or moving out of the room. 

"There is another thing, Lily," said Professor Dumbledore. She had told everyone her name by now.

"Yes?"

"Remus Lupin says you know the truth about him. I must say that I appreciate you not saying anything to the rest of the student body."

"I didn't think it was my place to say anything. I don't blame him. It would cause unnecessary panic. He's a good person. He deserves to go to this school," said Lily bravely. "Probably more than I do."

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "Than go and talk to your friends. I assume that James is very concerned about what will happen to you."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," said Lily. She left his office. As soon as the gargoyle opened up, she saw James waiting for her. She gave him a smile of reassurance. 

"So, what happened?" asked James. Lily explained everything to him. He looked a little sad at the end of the explanation. "Oh, I knew they'd move you out. That's why I didn't want to say anything earlier."

"It's okay. It's not like we won't see each other again," Lily reassured him. 

"Remus says thank you for keeping his secret," said James. 

"It's no problem," said Lily. "Everyone has been reacting funny. I guess they're in shock."

James started laughing. "I guess they would be. I knew that this day would come, but everything will be fine," he said. They took each other's hand as they went forward. 

Everything ended up working out just fine. James had to put up with Sirius' razzing for a while, but eventually everything was back to normal. Remus and Lily became good friends over time. Lucius Malfoy was more than shocked to find out that Lily was really a girl. He was really hoping that James preferred girls over boys. Severus Snape was beside himself with anger because no one got punished in the end. It was just another let down for him. Everything settled down.

James and Lily became one of the premiere couples of the school. They continued to date until the end of school. After school, James asked Lily to marry him and she accepted. That story has already been written. 

* * *

Post Author's Note: And thus ends this story. I never thought I'd make it this far and actually finish this story. Now, I'll take some time off and read the fifth book. I might come back with more, but I don't think I'll do another story like this. I know that this ending was abrupt. I'm sorry, but I was running out of time. And I was going on vacation just before the 21st. Okay, it's not like anyone will care how this ended once book five is out. ^_^ Either way, I must thank everyone who reviewed. Look for my next story. 

Go to kirikarin.livejournal.com for more info. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or _ Hanazakari no Kimitachi e_ (_For You in Full Blossom_). I just borrowed these for my fic. 


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